


What He Needs

by Kristina67



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-07 08:57:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 52
Words: 68,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3169031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kristina67/pseuds/Kristina67
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom Hiddleston has everything he needs or so he thinks until someone shows him something he has been missing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a beginning to my first story from the male point of view. I hope I do it justice. I welcome all comments as they are necessary to grow as a writer.   
> Hello to all my new readers. I am thrilled to be getting your kudos! Thanks so much.

Waking up in the early morning hours was his normal routine. Putting on his shorts and hoodie he grabbed his runners and headed out to the living room to get ready for his run. Running is what nourished him and put his mind at ease. The freedom of being alone with his thoughts without anyone wanting anything from him was heaven. 

He grabbed his iPod and headed out to the trail that would take him through the park. It was autumn and the trees were resplendent in their red, yellow and orange foliage. The air was fresh and crisp just the way he liked it. With the latest Bon Iver tunes playing in his ears he took off to complete his usual 5k run.

When Tom was running he was free to be himself. He didn’t have fans screaming his name, he didn’t have to put on a smile for cameras and he didn’t have to write his name over and over and over. Running allowed him to have the personal space that he so longed for. He loved his fans and was very grateful for their support but sometimes he just wanted to be just plain Tom and not Tom Hiddleston British movie star!

When the run was over, he went back to his apartment to get ready for the day. He looked in his bedroom and saw that she was still there sleeping. He had hoped she would be gone by the time he got back. Tom wasn’t a use and discard them kind of man but sometimes a one night stand was just that. He was always up front with the women he slept with and let them know when that was all he wanted. He was a man after all and with that many women wanting to sleep with him, every now and then he just indulged. He loved the feel of a woman’s skin beneath his fingertips, and the smell of her perfume as it subtly filled his nose. He loved the feel of her nipples in his mouth as he suckled them and he loved the taste of her essence as he licked the silky goodness between her legs.

But intimacy with a woman always came with a price. The pressure was always on him to perform well because if the woman he was with wasn’t satisfied he knew it would get all over the media. He hated that he couldn’t trust people but he had been burnt before and now he knew he needed to protect himself. Luke had enough work to do as it was, he didn’t need Tom creating a scandal that he needed to clean up. Now when Tom slept with a woman, he had her sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure his privacy was not going to be breached. Many did not like it, but in the end they all signed it because being with Tom and not being able to talk about it was better than never being with Tom at all…and they all wanted to be with Tom.

He headed into the shower to rinse off the sweat and grime from his run. After a night of lovemaking followed by a morning run, he would normally be fired up enough that he would want to invite his companion to shower with him. Last night’s guest however, did not turn out to be a suitable morning companion so he did not wake her.

As he entered the bedroom after his shower she had just finished getting dressed. She looked up at Tom standing there with nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. His firm chest muscles glistened from the water droplets and the V that was pointing underneath his towel was all so enticing. She wished she could have another go at him but he had told her last night that once he showered he was done playing. She wasn’t about to try anything that might cause him to be displeased with her in case he might change his mind and decide to invite her back again. Tom Hiddleston was one of those carnival rides that you couldn’t get enough of and wouldn’t stop going on until you got sick.

Tom pulled on his robe and like a gentleman he escorted his guest to the door.  
Putting her hands on his face for a goodbye kiss she whispered in his ear “In case you ever change your mind, I left my phone number on your nightstand” 

“Thanks” he said as she opened the door for her. He said nothing more as he wanted to be polite but not encouraging. He knew he was going to throw her number out the second she was gone as she was never going to be ‘the woman in his life’ and he wasn’t into an ongoing casual sex kind of relationship. He wasn’t a bad guy; at least he didn’t think so. Was it wrong to just want sex for the sake of sex with no strings attached? There were women who only wanted that too and he felt as long as he was upfront and honest about what he wanted, that it was up to them to decide if they still wanted him or not.

He finished dressing for the day in a pair of tight fitting jeans which hung off his hips and cupped his ass in all the right places. He topped it was a navy button up shirt- leaving the top 2 buttons undone- and a pair of black leather low-cut boots. Tom knew he was fortunate to have such a nicely toned body and there wasn’t much that didn’t look good on him. He also knew that while he was blessed with good genes he worked very hard to keep his body in top physical shape. His acting talents were one thing he had to offer prospective directors but his physical appearance was equally as important to them.

Today he was finishing up some work on “I Saw the Light”. He loved the fact that this was a major singing role as he loved to sing. Transforming himself from a stylish English gentleman into a “Lou-siana” country songman was as difficult a role as it gets. Tom had wanted this job very much as he wanted to prove he was more than Loki or his Victorian characters. He really wanted to stretch himself as an actor and this certainly was the role in which to do that.

As he climbed into his white Jaguar, stretching his long legs out under the dash, he was finally ready to face the day and all the excitement it had to offer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom misses his flight and has a vision.

When Tom arrived at the studio his PA Luke was there to greet him.   
“Tom you look refreshed. Had a good night did you?” he said with a wink.  
“Actually it wasn’t very exciting but yes I did manage to rest up” he replied.  
“Well things should be done here in a day or two. I am sure you are ready to get home by now”  
“Yes Mate I sure am. I love travelling but I miss home. Fall is a nice time to be in London”   
“Well, dazzle them a few more times with that great smile of yours and you will soon be on your way” Luke teased.  
“Yes cause that’s all acting is - flashing a brilliant smile. You are lucky I know you’re kidding” Tom replied jabbing Luke in the side as he headed into the makeup trailer to get ready.

The day drug on too slowly for Tom’s liking. He enjoyed the singing parts of the movie but when it got to the fine bits and pieces at the end of the shooting schedule, all the stopping and starting was torture. He preferred longer scenes with more monologues.   
After changing back into his own clothes, he decided some dinner was in order. Some of the rest of the cast was going to join him at the hotel restaurant. They had discovered over the course of their stay there that the food was quite good and the owner loved having them there so much that it always became a party. They ate and drank for several hours before Tom was able to sneak away back to his room. Tonight he would be alone and he was happy about that. 

Tom was never short of company, if he wanted some. Even when he didn’t want any company, he found it extremely difficult to get some alone time. People were so drawn to Tom’s effervescent personality that they couldn’t seem to get enough of him. And Tom, always the gentleman, would never say no. He never got angry or annoyed in front of people as he felt he was so fortunate to be living the life he was, that he figured he owed it to the karma gods to keep giving back. The only problem now was that he got so many invitations that he had to turn some down and he didn’t like disappointing people. This is where Luke came in. He was Tom’s official “so sorry but Tom won’t be able to make it to your event” person. Tom didn’t know what he would do without Luke.

The movie wrapped up 4 days later. Tom was thrilled to be heading home. He wanted to see his Mum and his sisters and sleep in his own bed. He was anxious to see his close friends and just be Tom for a little while. Despite all his excitement, Tom somehow managed to oversleep. Luke had gone home the day before so he wasn’t around to see that Tom made his plane. Normally Tom wouldn’t need Luke for this as he was very organized, but today nothing seemed to be going right. He managed to get to the airport just as his flight took off, leaving him stranded in Louisiana. 

“Bugger, bugger, bugger” he said quietly to himself. He was so annoyed that he had allowed this to happen. He wanted to go home so badly and now he didn’t know when he would get out. He went to the closest ticket counter and asked them when the next flight to Heathrow was.

“I’m sorry Mr. Hiddleston; I have nothing going to Heathrow from here today. There is only one flight out of here tonight that will get you into London tomorrow night but it means you will have a layover.”

“Is that the soonest I can get there then?” he asked  
“Yes the absolute soonest”  
“Okay book me for it then.” He didn’t even care where the layover was as long as he was going to be getting home.”

The ticket agent printed out the tickets and handed him his boarding passes. He would be leaving Louisiana at 3pm today and travelling 3hrs to reach Pearson International Airport in Toronto. He would have his layover in Toronto and then leaving the following afternoon to go to London. The ticket agent was also kind enough to book his hotel in Toronto and hire a car to take him to his hotel so he didn’t have to worry about that when he got there. He wasn’t sure all her clients got the same treatment as although she hadn’t drooled over him the way some of the airport staff were known to do, he did notice her watching his rear end very carefully as he bent over to get his identification out of this bag. Her eyes glazed over when she looked at his face with that same look he had seen on thousands of women’s faces when they came in close proximity to him. He was glad he had his fans but he never could figure exactly why they were so drawn to him. He found all the intense adoration a little unwarranted really.

He thanked her very much for her assistance as he headed into the security area. While he had a couple of hours to wait, he didn’t want to wait in the general area and went straight into the first class lounge. There was much less chance someone would recognize him in there and if they did they would be too polite to bother him. Plus the chairs here were very comfortable and he would be able to have a nap while he waited. This time he would ensure his phone alarm was set to wake him up in time. 

As Tom drifted off to sleep, he was thinking of being at home with his family. He dreamt that he was walking through the Heath going to meet his sister. He decided to let off some steam and to run along the jogging path when a squirrel up in a tree dropped a nut in the path in front of him. Instead of stopping Tom just looked up to see where the nut came from. He saw the squirrel but what he didn’t see was the woman who was jogging towards him. He banged right into her and they both crashed to the ground.

He got up and then helped her up, all the time apologizing profusely for his ignorance. She smiled up at him, she was tall but he still towered over her. She had shoulder length black hair which was shining brightly in the afternoon sun and the darkest brown eyes he had ever seen. Her eyes seemed to draw him in like he was falling into a deep pool of water.

Before he could say anything else, she jogged off without saying a word. All he could do was stare after her, trying to figure out what just happened. As he called after her, he heard someone calling his name “Mr. Hiddleston, Mr.Hiddleston!” and then he felt someone shake his arm. He opened his eyes to see one of the attendants trying to wake him. He could hear his alarm going off and an announcement in the background indicating first class passengers could board his flight.

He thanked the attendant for waking him, and stood up groggily, looking around trying to get his bearings. There was no park and he wasn’t in his jogging clothes and there was no sight of any black haired woman with deep brown eyes. Too bad, he thought, he could have used the company on his flight to Toronto. He gathered his stuff and headed onto the plane.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accident or fate?

The trip to Toronto was thankfully uneventful. Tom was able to sit back and have a sip of Jameson to help him relax. He managed to do some reading as he had been neglecting his books recently and reading always put him in a good mood. As he was settling into the story his phone chimed indicating he had a text. It was from his friend Ben—Benedict Cumberbatch to the rest of the world. Ben wanted to know when he would be home as he was looking to plan a get together for the two of them and some of their mutual friends. Tom texted back saying he was hoping to be home late tomorrow and he was free on the weekend. Ben told him he would put something together and get back to him when he got home. 

The plane landed at Pearson without any issues. Tom waited for all the other passengers to get off the plane so he would hopefully go unnoticed. The flight attendants asked him for autographs before he left and he was happy to oblige since they waited and didn’t disturb his flight. When he got off the plane, he headed to the baggage claim to get his luggage. There were only a few bags left as most of the passengers had already gone. He grabbed his bag off the carousel and headed for the arrivals gates. He hoped the driver was there waiting for him as all he wanted to do was head straight to the hotel and soak in a warm shower. 

As Tom turned to leave he spotted another traveler coming towards the carousel. She was moving quickly towards him making him think she was in as much of a hurry as he was. He may not have noticed her had it not been for the fact that she dropped her handbag on the floor right in front of him. He had to move quickly so as not to trip over it. 

“Fuck!” they both said at the same, louder than either of them had intended to. They looked at each other and then they both broke out laughing just as loudly. 

“I see our thoughts are on the same wavelength” he said as he bent down to help pick up the contents of her bag which was now dumped on the floor at his feet.

“I’m so sorry” she apologized. “I can be so clumsy sometimes. I hope I haven’t inconvenienced you”

“Think nothing of it, things happen. I don’t mind helping a damsel in distress” he said grinning.

She looked up at him with an odd expression on her face. Damsel? She thought. What century did this guy come from? His accent was quite charming though.

“Not sure I am in distress” she said, “But I do appreciate the help” As she was saying this she noticed her luggage going around the carousel.

“Okay maybe I am in distress if I don’t get my bag it will go back into the luggage compartment and I will never get to my hotel” she said. She started to run for it when she noticed Tom had beaten her to the punch and was half way to the suitcase.

“This one?” he asked lifting it off of the conveyor belt.  
“Yes thanks” she said smiling at how quickly he managed to get to it.  
As Tom approached her with the bag she said “Wow those long legs of yours can really cover a lot of ground quickly”  
Grinning and uttering his famous ‘ehehehe’ laugh he responded “Yes I guess they can. Being a runner helps as well” as he set the suitcase at her feet. 

She finished picking up the remains of her personal items from the floor putting them all back into her purse. She then held out her hand to him and said “Thank you for your help you have been very kind” 

He took her hand in his making note of how small it was in comparison to his large one. He also noticed how soft and warm it was as well. “It was my pleasure Miss….?” He paused, waiting for her to let him know her name. Instead all he got was a view of her back as she had already turned, picked up her suitcase, and headed for the door without a goodbye. He grinned again as he realized his question would go unanswered. While he didn’t have her name, one thing he did have was an image of her sinfully decadent, creamy, chocolate brown eyes permanently etched into this memory. The most curious thing was that it was the second time that day he say those eyes, the first time though had been in his dream.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley make some discoveries they didn't expect to make

Tom arrived at his hotel room 30 mins after leaving the airport. He had been tired all the way to Toronto, but after his encounter with the woman at the baggage claim, he found he was re-energized. He no longer felt cranky and exhausted, instead he felt a bit jittery as if he had just had 3 cups of coffee. He had replayed the exchange between the woman and himself all the way to the hotel. While it was a short conversation, he smiled at the image of her scrambling for her belongings while at the same time saying she wasn't a damsel in distress. It was funny how things happen.

He went to his suitcase to hang up the clothes he would need for tomorrow. Since he had packed everything he needed right on top, he reached in to grab it without looking. When he raised his head to look at his ‘suit’ he saw instead a lovely matching set of a pink lace bra and knickers. 

He looked at the outside of the suitcase, yes it was his suitcase but he was certain the pink undergarments were not. He opened the suitcase wider and noticed not just the underwear but a dress and heels and other female apparel. He stood there for a moment trying to figure out how these items made their way into his bag. Had Rodney played a trick on him? He had been staying with Rodney Crowell while Rodney was giving him acting as his singing coach for the movie. Rodney had promised to get back at Tom for all the pranks he played on set. Did he replace Tom’s clothes with some of the women’s wardrobe from wardrobe trailer? 

No that really seemed to be a little too cruel for Rodney. Tom closed the suitcase and looked it over again. It was the same brand and the same color as his case, it even had a small tear in the exact same place that his did, but when he got a hold of the name tag he finally figured out what must have happened. The luggage tag read: If lost please return to Marley Prince at 500 Sussex Place, Moncton New Brunswick Canada. Below the address was a phone number. So that must be her name, he thought. Marley. She must have taken his case instead of hers when she left him in a hurry. 

She had been at the arrivals luggage area but her bag says she wasn't from Toronto. He hoped she was staying in Toronto instead of just passing through as he was. Perhaps she was at a hotel since this wasn't her home. Tom picked up his cell phone and carefully dialed the phone number on the tag. After a few rings the call went to voice-mail. He left a message that he hoped would get his back bag as he really didn't think he would look good in the pink ensemble.

Marley had decided as soon as she got to the hotel that a nice hot shower was what she needed after her long day of travelling and being rerouted. She was supposed to fly from Moncton to Halifax and from Halifax directly to Toronto. Supposed to! Her flight from Moncton left late due to mechanical issues. As a result her connecting plane in Halifax had left without her. They managed to book her on another flight to Toronto but it was going to St John’s Nfld first. An hour later she had headed off to Nfld. When she got there it was supposed to be a short off and on but the incoming flight had been delayed because of bad weather so she ended up having to wait 3 hrs for her connecting flight to Toronto. Travelling 9 hrs to end up at a place that was only 2 hours away really wasn't how she imagined her day going. On top of that the planes she did get on were packed with loud talkers and crying babies. Yes, a hot shower was definitely what she needed and asap. She was in the shower scrubbing off the remains of her crappy day when she heard her phone ringing. Whoever it was would have to wait for her to get out. 

While Tom was waiting for Marley to call back, he sank into the sleep number bed in the hotel. He loved these beds as he could make them as firm or soft as he wanted. With a body as long and lean as his was, getting the bed just right was vital to ensuring he didn't wind up feeling like a pretzel the next morning. He was still a young man but all those hours rehearsing and playing out those fight scenes had started to have an effect on his body. If he wanted to continue to make action movies for many more years he needed to start taking care of himself. He had wanted to wait until he got his clothes before taking a shower but he needed the shower to sooth his aching muscles. He really didn't like the idea of putting dirty clothes back on so the hotel bathrobe would have to make do until then.

 

Marley got out of the shower feeling very refreshed. The hotel robe felt like a soft kitten as she hugged it against her warm lavender scented skin- the hotel’s body wash left her smelling so wonderful. As comfortable as the robe was, she wanted to slip on her PJs, order some room service and then snuggle into bed to watch some TV. She went to her suitcase and noticed something she hadn't seen before. The writing on the luggage tag caught her eye…even though she couldn't read it from where she stood; the hand writing didn't look like hers. She took the tag in her hand and held it up so she could look at it: Tom Hiddleston c/o Hamilton Hodell 20 Golden Square London UK W1F9JL Phone # 44 (0)20 7636 1221

That wasn't her bag. Oh my goodness she must have gotten her luggage mixed up with the gentleman at the airport! She opened up the case and inside was men’s clothing. There were jeans, t-shirts, socks and very nice looking underwear among other things. She chuckled to herself as if she was this surprised by the contents of his suitcase she could only image the look on his face when he found the delicate lingerie in hers! While she didn't notice much about him other than his charming smile, as she turned to leave she couldn't help but appreciate his fantastically tight and gorgeous ass. Now she wondered what these union jack bower briefs would look like curved around it!

How was she going to contact him? She couldn't call the UK from her phone as she didn't have an international package. Perhaps there is something else in here with a more local phone number for him. As she was rummaging into his bag further she noticed the light blinking on her phone letting her know she had a message. She had forgotten that the phone rang while she was in the shower. Maybe he noticed the mistake also and was calling her. She reached for her phone and was so glad to hear his voice. That accent of his was very delightful to listen to. When she got to the part of the message where he indicated what hotel he was staying in, she let out a small chuckle as he was right here in the same hotel as she was. 

How perfect was that? He could just arrange to come to her room and exchange bags. She dialed the front desk and asked to be connected to Tom Hiddleston’s room. She was puzzled when the front desk clerk said there was no one registered at the hotel by that name. She knew he was there because he said so in his message. She hung up the phone and decided to check the call display on her phone. The number listed there was one of the hotels numbers so she tried to call it back directly. The phone rang and when it was answered it was indeed the same voice that had left her the message. 

“Hello”  
“Hello is this Mr. Hiddleston?”  
“Who’s calling?” he asked. He never revealed himself until he knew who was calling. Too many times a fan had accidentally stumbled onto his phone number and he was able to lie and say they had the wrong number.  
“It’s Marley Prince. I believe you may have my suitcase” she said tentatively.  
“Oh hi Marley. Sorry for not telling you it was me right away but I never know when it is someone I really know or a fan trying to find out where I am.”

A fan? What did he mean by that? Who was this man? She wondered.  
“I am guessing you would like to exchange my lacy underwear for your boxer briefs?”  
“Well not that your knickers aren't quite lovely but I don’t know that I have the right equipment to fill them out properly.”  
“I understand” she giggled. “You’ll never believe it, but I am actually staying in the same hotel that you are”  
“Really!” he said surprised by the coincidence of this news. “It should be easy to swap luggage then shouldn't it?”  
“Yes, only one problem though… after the horrible day I had, I had to take a hot shower to wash the day away and I only had a bathrobe to put back on since you have my clothes”.

“Hmm that is a problem” Tom replied. “I was so physically exhausted after the long day I had that I did exactly the same thing while I was waiting to hear back from you. I also only had the bathrobe to put on” he said grinning to himself. This sounded like something from a movie script but you couldn't come up with something this crazy if you tried. 

“Great.” She sighed. “Now what are we going to do?” she asked.  
Tom thought for a moment and then re replied “I have an idea. Have you eaten yet?”  
“No I was just going to order some room service. You?” she asked  
“I was about to do the same. Tell you what… I really doubt that I can fit into your clothes but I happen to know I have a pair of baggy track bottoms and a t-shirt in my case. Why don’t you slip them on and come to my room with my case and then we can trade and get back into our own clothes. While I am waiting I can order some supper for us, if you don’t mind my company?’ he proposed.

“I don’t know Mr. Hiddleston. Can I trust you? Or can you trust me? I might be one of those fans you were trying to avoid” she said.  
He chuckled at her response. “Not sure about Mr. Hiddleston but you can trust Tom. I’m willing to take the chance if you are. I will even leave the door open while you are here so you can scream for help if you feel you need to”

Now it was her turn to giggle at his comments. “I guess I can work with that” she said. “Give me your room number and I’ll put on your sweats and come find you.

“Room 1228” he said.  
“I’ll be there shortly. And Tom?” she paused  
“Yes Marley?”  
“Order me the chicken would you? And something yummy for dessert as I am starving” she said  
“Your wish is my command my darling” he said as he hung up the phone. He looked into the mirror and noticed he had the biggest smile on his face. He didn't know exactly why but he liked talking to this whirlwind that blew into this life today.

On the other end of the line Marley was also grinning ear to ear. For a day that started off so horribly, she could think of worse things than having dinner with a handsome British man, even if she still didn't know exactly who he really was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley make the swap

Marley reached into Tom’s suitcase looking for the sweatpants he said would be there. Sure enough on the bottom of the case was a pair of gray pants and a white t-shirt. While she didn't mind wearing his clothes, she felt strange wearing them without any underwear. Okay maybe guilty was a better word than strange because if she was honest with herself, the feel of Tom’s pants on her body with no underwear to get in the way made her feel extremely turned-on! 

When Tom was helping her pick her things in the airport she couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. She could almost feel the heat coming off of him he was so sexy but then she didn't have the time to think about it as she had been in a hurry to get to the hotel. She wasn't sure going to his room was such a good idea but she couldn't resist seeing him in the white fluffy bathrobe. She just knew how good he would look. 

The other thing that kept crossing her mind was trying to figure out who he was. She knew his name sounded familiar and he mentioned his fans so she knew he was some sort of celebrity but she couldn't remember where she knew him from. Given his striking facial features, his irresistible smile and his amazing well-sculpted body he must be a model. Perhaps she would be able to figure it out over dinner. 

She slipped on the t-shirt, and checked her hair to make sure she looked presentable. She would have to go with only her lip-gloss and powder for makeup as her cosmetic bag was also with Tom. She went out into the hallway and up the elevator to the 12th floor. He must be someone special as the 12th floor housed all the suites and were very expensive. 

Tom has just finished placing the dinner order from room service and was lounging on the bed. He was glad to see the mini bar was well stocked as he poured himself a drink of Canadian Club whiskey. While it wasn't as good as his beloved Jameson it was very tasty and hit the spot. 

As he was relaxing he thought about Marley putting on this t-shirt and track bottoms. Then it hit him...she wouldn't have any underwear! As the thought went through his mind, it also sent extra blood flow through his groin. It was so hot to think of her going commando in his track bottoms! While he didn't have a long time to check her out when they met earlier, he couldn't help but be struck by her long legs and her voluptuous hourglass figure. Her body was not the same as the usual stick figure models and actresses he was used to seeing. From what he briefly saw in the airport this woman had curves in all the right places. His body wasn't relaxed anymore as every cell he had was surging with testosterone at the prospect of seeing her in his clothes. He didn't have time to adjust to this sensation as there was a knock at his door letting him know she was standing right outside.  
“Tom?” she asked quietly as she didn't want to draw the attention of anyone else around his door.

“Just one minute Marley, be right there.” The minute he needed was a moment to think of something other than her as all of a sudden there seemed to be a tent forming under his robe. He didn't think it would make a very good impression to invite a woman into his hotel room wearing only a robe with clearly visible hard-on underneath.

When Tom opened the door, he saw a gorgeous mass of shimmering dark brown hair framing a dainty peaches and cream face which showcased a beautiful pair of luscious pink lips. Behind the lips was a glistening white smile that seemed to stretch from ear to ear. He was almost speechless.

“Hi Marley” he said as he reached out and kissed her on both cheeks trying to compose himself. Marley was always surprised by this kind of greeting as it wasn't something that was practiced in her part of the world. She couldn't help but feel a shiver at the touch of his warm lips on her cheeks.

“Hello Tom” she replied, “We meet again”  
“Yes fate seems to keep bringing us together today doesn't it?”  
“Yes I guess so”  
“I have to say you look pretty good in my clothes” Tom commented.   
“Why thank you kind sir” she said in a fake southern drawl. “I guess I needed rescuing again”  
“My pleasure little lady” he drawled back. At that they both started laughing at their silliness.

“Have a seat” he said pointing to the sofa in the main room of his suite.  
“Wow, nice digs” she said “much more spacious than my room”  
“Ah the perks of the movie business” he replied “I do get a little embarrassed sometimes at all the fuss that is made over me. As long as I have a bed and a bathroom I am satisfied.”

Okay so that was a hint as to his identity, he was in the movies. She guessed by his good looks that he was actor. 

“So Tom” she began, “I feel kind of stupid admitting this but I can’t quite place where I know your name from”

“What!” he said feigning horror at her comment “you don’t know who I am? Well I think I am going to curl up and just die” he chuckled.

“Okay so I know you are an actor because no one from another profession would be such a ham” she replied.

“Yes m’ lady I am an actor. You may have seen me in the Thor movies or Avengers or perhaps something Shakespeare” he said.  
“I do love Shakespeare but I have not seen a play, I have only read his works. It must have been from Thor but I only saw the first one.”  
“Do you remember Thor’s Brother Loki, the God of mischief?” he asked  
“Not really” she answered “I’m sorry but those aren't my normal kind of movies. I just remember this hulk of a guy crashing to earth and not knowing how to act like a regular earth person”

“Don’t be sorry darling, they aren't for everyone and to be honest, I was not really a huge superhero movie buff either before I played Loki. Now that I know so much more about the stories I appreciate them more. But then I like pretty much any kind of movie. That hulk of a guy you referred to was Thor and was played by Chris Hemsworth.”

“Well I guess now that I have met you I have reason to watch it again perhaps” she smiled sweetly.   
“I guess you do” he said.  
“Do you think perhaps we should switch clothes now?” Tom questioned.  
“Oh my goodness I completely forgot what I was wearing. I was too interested in our conversation” she said  
“Me too then I looked down at my robe and remembered I was in the presence of a lady and that I really should have more clothes on than this” he grinned.

“First I am a damsel, now a lady? You sure now know how to flatter a girl” she said.   
“I only speak the truth my dear” he said as he grabbed his case and went into the bathroom to change.

Marley sat on the sofa smiling, thinking about what Tom had said. He was gorgeous; she didn't know why she hadn't noticed before. If she had she probably would have thought twice about putting his clothes on and coming to meet him. Too bad they were just ships passing through the hotel but then she had no desire to have a man in her life anyway. She was doing just fine on her own.

Tom was having a hard time deciding what to wear. He didn't want to be too dressy but he also didn't want to look slouchy in her presence. She was a very attractive woman and he wanted to impress her. He had planned on just putting on his comfortable t-shirt and shorts but when he saw how lovely Marley was that idea went out the window. He decided on fresh jeans and a pullover shirt with a zipper at the top. 

“There my dear” he said, “Now you can go and change as well”. He motioned to her suitcase sitting neat the washroom.   
“Thanks” she said, “I will be right out”. 

Marley resisted the urge to dress up for him. After all it’s not like this was a date. This was just supper between two weary travelers who had been thrown together by circumstance not by planning. So she decided to put on her own yoga pants and a hoodie. She also didn't want him to think she was trying too hard.

As Marley stepped out of the bathroom, Tom was once again in awe of her natural beauty. She was in casual clothes with minimal makeup and yet she shined like she had just stepped off a runway. He couldn't image what the rest of this night would be like but he was getting some impure thoughts again


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley share dinner and Tom struggles with a tough decision.

“They just called to say dinner is on its way up” Tom said, trying to act like having dinner with Marley was a common everyday event.

“Great, I’m starved. I hope you ordered a nice big dessert!”

“You really don’t know who I am do you?” he laughed. “Anyone who knows me or has read anything about me online knows I am a dessert freak. In London we call them puddings instead of desserts and there are pages on the internet of people making fun of my love for puddings” 

“Really? Well I guess that is something we have in common as I have never met a pudding I didn't like” she said making air quotes with her fingers when she said the word pudding.

There was a knock at the door announcing dinner’s arrival. Just as she had asked, Tom had ordered her a nice roasted chicken and potatoes as he himself settled into the largest bacon burger she had ever seen.

“You like your burgers I see” she said grinning.  
“Oh yes, I am so often on some specific diet either bulking up or slimming down for a role that whenever I’m not I head straight for the cheeseburger. And if there is bacon, even better” he grinned.

“I guess you must exercise a lot then to stay as healthy as you are” she commented.

“Have you been checking me out?” he asked, bringing an instant blush to her cheeks.

“Not in the way you think you perverted man” she grinned, “I was wearing your clothes remember and other than being a mile too long, they really weren't that big on me”

“Oh yes. Well I will take that as a compliment” he said and then added “you do know that Loki is the God of Mischief and that I was told I am a natural for the role so it is in my divine nature to tease?”

“I didn't know that but I am starting to see what you mean” she replied.

“So besides stealing stranger’s suitcases in airports, what do you normally do for fun?” he asked.

“Well usually I hang out at bus stations and try to steal luggage there but I have found the airport to be a more fruitful location” she grinned. 

“Okay let me try another angle…what brings you to Toronto?”   
“I am on business actually. The company I work for has its head office here and I have come to work on a project” she said  
“Ooo sounds important. What kind of work do you do?”   
“I work in the financial industry but my work is more centered on performance management. I try to find better ways to assess and reward performance”  
“Interesting” he replied. “I bet you are pretty kick-ass at it to” 

“I like to think so” she said smiling “I like using my skills to help others. Having people achieve their best and rewarding them for it is so empowering and encourages the best results when it comes to customer service. It’s a snowball effect”

“I can see that. Wow now I feel like what I do is so unimportant. I only entertain people”  
“People can’t be their best unless they have things that stimulate their minds. You aren't just entertaining people you are using your skills to help stimulate them. You are either making them laugh which relieves their stress, or you are giving them something to think about and that nourishes their curiosity. Either way what you do is essential.” Marley corrected him.  
“Darling you are a great motivator. I can see why you would be good at any job and you have a very generous mind” Tom said

This time Marley blushed. She never had someone compliment her this way before. “Thank you Tom, you are a pretty good motivator yourself. Now can we dig into this delicious looking dessert?” she asked.

“You don’t need to ask me twice” he replied. As Tom dug into his pudding he was thinking how much more there was to Marley than meets the eye. He was starting to realize she had many facets to her personality that he would probably never get to see in their short time together. Too bad they wouldn't have more time to explore this relationship.

After puddings, Tom excused himself and went into the washroom. He needed a few minutes to think before deciding what he wanted to do next. He was really having a great time with Marley; she was intelligent, witty and very easy on the eyes. She was the kind of girl that he would be interested in dating had they met under more normal circumstances or at least lived on the same continent. He knew they would only have a little more time together and what he really wanted to do was be close to her and delight her in the most intimate ways. He thought more of her than he did the girls he typically had one night stands with. He didn't think of her as just a nice warm body to fulfill his sexual desires, no if he were to sleep with her it would be so he could make love to her properly. She wasn't a one night kind of girl but unfortunately that is all the time they would have. So he had to decide whether to try for more, or let it go. His heart was saying go for it but his head was saying no. After a few minutes of tormenting himself, he decided what to do and he rejoined Marley in the living area.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom lets Marley in on his thoughts and she makes a decision of her own.

Tom asked Marley if she would like to stay for a nightcap. Initially she wanted to say no, since she didn't really want this to turn into anything more than just a nice dinner. She didn't have time to start a relationship and she really didn't want to be just another notch on some ‘actors’ belt. Tom had a way though of melting her reserve when he looked at her with his puppy dog eyes. She was really enjoying his company and so she decided to stay longer and said yes. 

They sat for a long time side by side on the couch getting to know each other better. They talked about siblings, Tom had 2 sisters and Marley had 1 brother. They talked about their parents – hers were still married and still alive, his divorced when he was young but they were both still in his life. They talked about schooling – he went to a prestigious private school in the UK, she went to public school in Canada. He had a degree in Classics from Cambridge University in London and she a degree in Business from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Tom even pulled up some funny things from the internet to show Marley some of his work and the jokes about his puddings.

“You know Marley” Tom began, “I can’t believe how easy you are to talk to. I am really enjoying our conversation”   
“I feel the same Tom. I normally wouldn't feel so comfortable talking to someone who is clearly a big deal to so many people, but I find it very relaxing sitting here chatting with you, like I could do it all night” she said,

“How tall are you?” he asked.  
“5 foot 7” she said.  
“I think you must be taller than that. You can’t be that much shorter than I am and I am 6 foot 2” Tom replied. Tom reached out his hand to her “Stand up for a minute darling so we can see would you?” he asked

Marley took Tom’s hand and stood up facing him.  
“Most women I know only come up to my waist” he said laughing.  
“Well at least I reach your chin” she said looking up at him smiling.  
“Yes so you must be taller than that”. 

Tom had other things on his mind when he asked her to step up as he knew time was passing quickly. When she was facing him standing close enough to measure their heights, Tom took the opportunity to do something he had wanted to do all night. He lifted her chin so she was looking up at him and then he lowered his mouth to cover hers. He would later describe this kiss as the sweetest kiss he ever had, as she responded in kind. After a few moments of tasting each other’s lips, Marley broke the kiss and backed up from Tom.

“I’m sorry” Tom began “I couldn't help myself Marley. As much as I tried to talk myself out of it, I have been fighting this urge all night and I finally had to give in. I’m sorry if I crossed a line”

Marley smiled up at him. “Tom you didn't cross any line and believe me you weren't the only one who wanted to do that all night. If I knew this was going to be more than just a few hours together I would wanted this and so much more” she confessed to him. 

Tom looked at Marley and took her hand again but this time it was to sit back down on the couch. He continued to hold her hand in both of h is as he spoke.

“Marley I feel I need to be honest with you. While we have not spent near enough time together for me to know if I could develop series feelings for you, I do know that your personality – your spark your wit, your intelligence- is winning me over. I debated earlier about even asking you to stay longer as I know starting a relationship is crazy but I also would not risk devaluing you by looking for a one night stand. If we only had more time together I would know what to do. This has never happened to me before” he confessed.

Marley looked at Tom, and she didn't try to pull her hand away. “Tom you don’t know how much I appreciate you being honest with me. I have been having similar thoughts about you. I think long term you may be someone I could have a relationship with but we don’t have long term and I don’t want to be just a notch on a celebrity’s belt.”

Tom looked back at Marley with the kindest most sincere look on his face. “Marley darling, I can promise you that if we did sleep together it would mean so much more to me than just a one night stand. It is true we would only have one night, but to me it would be very special because I am attracted to you and your personality and not just your beauty. Shallow women, no matter how beautiful they are, bore me. Yes, to be honest, I do occasionally have sex with these kinds of women but I make it very clear to them that it is only sex, nothing more, and only a onetime thing. With you, I couldn't do that”. 

“You have begun to captivate my mind and not just my body. If we were proper dating I wouldn't even think of trying to sleep with you for a long time. I only made the advance because it felt like something so sweet was happening between us that I didn't want it to end. I wanted to make the most of our chance encounter and the small amount of time I will ever have with you. I know you have no reason to trust me. I only hope you are feeling the same way so that you perhaps can understand what I am saying” Tom stopped then to see her reaction.

Marley sat in silence for a moment, trying to take in all that Tom had said. “Tom I do understand where you are coming from. I had the same thoughts earlier. It’s corny but I feel like the old adage- 2 ships passing in the night- applies to us. Just because we have only been together for a short amount of time, doesn't mean what we are feeling isn't real. Fate really did bring us together today and as I have grown older I have realized so many chances I didn't take in life that I wished I had. We don’t get a second chance at something like this. Just because it is only for one night, doesn't mean us being together can’t be special.” As she finished what she was saying she leaned towards Tom and kissed him fully on the mouth with as much tenderness as he had ever felt before.

Tom looked into Marley’s eyes, kissed her one more time and then asked “Are you sure?” 

She nodded at him “Yes Tom I am sure”

He stood up and once again offered her his hand. Once she had placed her hand in his, he led her slowly from the living area of the suite towards the large 4 poster bed in the next room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley begin to discover each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty much all smut so either enjoy or be warned!

Once they reached the end of the bed, Tom turned to Marley and with one hand on her waist; he put the other hand on her cheek pulling her in for a kiss. Though still gentle this kiss held more passion that the others. He could feel her mouth giving in to his as his tongue sought out hers. She had the most delicious mouth, tasting like the chocolate from their desert and the minty taste of her lip gloss. Her tongue touched all the right spots in his mouth.

He removed his mouth from hers as he started a trail of kisses towards her ear. When he gently nibbled on her ear lobe he could hear her moan ever so quietly. The low noise she made instantly made him twitch. “Can you make that noise again luv?” he asked  
“If you keep nibbling on my ear and neck I most certainly will” she said.

“Your neck eh?” he said as he began trailing kisses to her neck. With the slightest of nibbles and small sucks at her neck she began to moan again. He found himself lost in the smell of her. The lavender hotel body wash smelled so much different coming from her body than it did from his.  
“Hmm Tom that mouth of yours” she said.  
“You haven't seen half of what it can do yet darling” as he continued to make his way to her collarbone.

As Tom tasted Marley’s skin, her hands were firmly on his waist pulling him closer. She kept running her hands up and down his back, enjoying the feel of his taunt muscles.  
Tom ran his free hand along the side of Marley’s body, ghosting the side of her breast. Her nipples immediately responded to his touch. She hadn't been with a man for a while and her body liked what he was doing. The next time his hand passed by he moved in a little further and slid his hand over her breast. He could feel her nipple reacting to him and he was so turned on by it.  
Tom broke away from Marley for a moment. “You are so lovely” he said looking at her. May I?” her asked as he put his hand on the zipper of her hoodie.  
She nodded in agreement as she shyly bit her bottom lip. He loved it when a woman did that and on her it was doubly sexy!

He lowered the zipper in a slow and seductive way relishing every inch of her chest that he was uncovering. He laughed when he exposed her bra, it was the pink one he had found when he opened her suitcase. 

“Am I going to find the matching knickers as well?” he asked.  
She grinned and said teasingly “You are assuming I have any one at all?”

He gasped for a moment at her cheekiness and immediately slid his hand around her back to caress her bottom. He could feel the tiniest bit of fabric near her waist. 

“Made you check!” she said.  
“I will get my revenge” he said grinning back at her.

He returned to the task of removing her hoodie. “This bra does look very nice on you” he said, “but it is getting in my way so I will be removing it” as he reached behind to unclasp it. Her bra fell to the floor as Tom eyed her appreciatively. 

“Spectacular” he said as he looked at her plump breasts with their extremely pointy nipples. “Do they taste as good as they look?” He bent his head down and took one of her breasts into his mouth, sucking softly. “Yes, yes, they do” he said answering his own question.  
She made that same moan she did earlier when he nibbled her ear. He could feel himself getting harder each time she did that. He continued to suckle her breast, taking the nipple first between his lips and then tugging on it between his teeth. She groaned even louder this time.

“I take it you like that?” he said  
“Oh Yes, please continue.” He continued to please her breasts with his teeth and mouth, alternating between them. Marley reached down and grabbed at the hem of his hoodie and started to pull it up. “I need to feel your naked chest” she said “with my hands and against my chest”

Tom stopped with he was doing and moved to help her remove his shirt.  
“Just as magnificent as I thought it would be” she said. She placed her hands on him and moved them up and down his torso. The feel of his chest was electrifying to her. Between the sensation of his mouth on her body and the feel of him under her hands, she could feel wetness pooling between her legs. She pulled him into her so she could feel him skin on skin as she covered his mouth with hers.

The feeling of her chest against his, her warm pelvis pressed tightly against his groin made him harden immediately. He picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. While we continued to kiss her he moved one of his hands to slide over her fleshy bottom. He loved her full round ass, it was so much more delightful to caress than the bony butt of the models he often slept with. 

“I love your ass darling. I can’t get wait to get these pants off of you” he said.  
“You can keep rubbing it as much as you like dear, your hands are amazing” she replied.  
“Let see what else we can do with them” he said as he bounced her onto the bed.  
“Tom!” she shrieked. “Be careful”  
“Don’t worry luv I would never hurt you. Show me where your boo boos are and I will kiss them better”  
“Well it hurts a little here” she said pointing to her mouth “and a little here” pointing to her collarbone” and a little here” she said pointing to her navel.  
“Well we can’t have that now” he said and he quickly responded by administering kisses to all three of the spots she indicated.  
“Hmm, that’s much better” she purred.

“I think they may be more areas that need attention darling” he said. He reached the waistband of her pants and pulled them down to her ankles where she kicked them off. He then ran his hands along her calves and up the outside of her thighs to her hips. He brought his mouth back up to hers and then looked into her beautiful brown eyes again.

“As much as it would kill me to stop now, are you sure this is what you want Marley? I don’t want to take advantage of you” he said looking very concerned.

“Oh Tom, stop being such a gentleman and fuck me would you?” she said smiling  
“Okay then. That I can handle but remember you asked for it!” he said as he started kissing his way down her body. He only stopped when he reached her knickers which he pulled down with his teeth.

“It would be my pleasure to fuck you proper my luv”. This time he used his tongue to move up her body on the inside of her legs and thighs. When he reached her warm center he found her sopping wet. 

“Oh you dirty girl, you do want me!”  
“Oh yes Tom I want you so badly” she replied.

He used his hands to separate her thighs and then he placed kisses all over her mound. This bought out a very loud moan from deep inside of her. He then took his tongue and slid it over her opening and her clit like he was eating ice cream. 

“Oh my God Tom!” She hollered as her hips bucked up from the bed. 

He continued to lap at her pussy and suck on her clit and when she thought she couldn't stand it anymore, he pushed his tongue deep inside of her which brought her immediately over the edge. 

“Oh God” she cried as the waves crashed over her several times.  
He looked up from between her legs grinning. “Darling, such enthusiasm and I haven’t even started to fuck you yet”

“I think perhaps I need a wee break” she said, “and I would love nothing more than to get you out of those jeans and into my mouth.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley finish consummating their relationship- the Smut continues

Marley pushed Tom off of the bed and stood up. Tom started to loosen his belt but Marley brushed his hands aside. “Ah ah ah” she said, “That’s all mine”. She moved her hands to his belt and removed it quickly heading straight for his button and zipper next. She slowly slid the zipper down, running her hand over the huge bulge that was trapped underneath. She heard a moan from him when she did.

Marley then pulled his jeans down to his ankles and he stepped out of them. She put her hands on the waistband of his underwear but stopped for a moment. “Turn around please” she said “I need to get a look at that tight ass of yours covered in those union jack underwear I saw earlier.” Tom ever the clown did a little dance as he turned around for her. “Mmm just as yummy as I expected!” she said as she reached out and grabbed both his cheeks.

“You saucy girl!” he said. “You could do that all day and I wouldn't mind a bit”  
“Sorry I have other plans” she replied as she reached up and removed his boxer briefs for him. On the way down, she took a little nibble of his right cheek. On the way back up, she slid her hands between his legs and rubbed against his scrotum.

“Oh darling you don’t know what you've started!” he growled from the enjoyment of her teeth on his ass and her hand on his balls. He started to push her back down on the bed but she slid out of his way. “Now I told you I had other plans. I’m not done with you yet Mr. Bigshot movie star! You may be used to getting your own way with your other conquests, but not with me!” 

As she pushed him back on the bed she could see just how magnificent he was. It caused her to pause for a moment to appreciate how large and powerful looking he was. “Have I surprised you luv? You seem to be speechless!” Tom joked.

“Well it is rather impressive looking I have to admit. Not sure I have ever seen anything like it” she said licking her lips.  
“Oh now that was hot” he said. “Lick those lips like that again darling and I don’t care what you have in mind, as I won’t be listening to you anymore.”

Marley took that as her cue to see just how delectable his massive penis was. She knelt between Tom’s legs as he sat at the end of the bed. Cupping his balls gently in one hand, she placed the other one around his shaft and delivered a nice long lick upwards to his tip. 

“Ahhhh” he said, indicating his approval of her efforts. She continued to work her hand up and down his length, twisting to increase the pressure. After she thoroughly licked every inch of him, she placed her mouth over his tip and drew him in all the way to the base. 

“Oh My GOD!” he growled “How did you do that? No one has ever been able to take all of me before” He had hit the back of her throat but she had little gag reflex and so she had been able to take him all in. 

“I guess you just haven't met the right girl before” she said taking him out of her mouth briefly and then sucking on his tip before taking him back into her mouth.

“Marley, Marley… if you keep doing that I will be done!” he said but she showed no signs of backing off. She continued to use her hand and her mouth to pleasure him and in a matter of moments, he screamed out in pleasure as he erupted in her mouth. She swallowed every bit of him, ensuring he was dry before releasing him from her mouth.

“Jesus Marley! I am a man of words but I cannot adequately describe how amazing that was. I am so glad you wanted control darling!’ He sat up and placed several kisses on her mouth as he tried to catch his breath. He liked tasting himself on her lips.

“I’m glad you like it” she said smiling. “That is one amazing instrument you have there. She thought to herself -I have never had one that large in my mouth before. Kind of scared me a little. 

As if he read her mind he said “Oh don’t worry luv, I will ensure nothing but your utter and complete satisfaction” Then he gave her one of his heart melting smiles that filled his whole face as he bent to kiss her.

“Now come here you” he said.  
Pulling Marley back onto the bed he once again positioned himself between her thighs, running his tongue back along her slit. “You taste so divine. A man could get lost in here” he said. She could feel herself getting wetter with each touch, with each little sound of his sexy voice.

“Well that didn't take much” he said, “Are you ready for me darling?”  
“Oh yes, yes I am” she said enthusiastically.  
Tom slid up her body, caressing her sides as he went. When he reached her mouth, he smothered her in kisses as he reached his hand between her legs  
“Are you on something?” he asked  
“Yes I am and I am clean. How about you Mr. Sex God?” she asked.  
“Clean as a whistle love with papers to prove it if you need to see them”  
“If you dare move out of this bed I will hurt you” she said. “I’ll take your word for it”  
“Good, now where were we? Oh yes right here” He positioned himself at her entrance, teasing her with his tip”  
“Tom” she warned “either you put that inside of me now, or I will!”  
“Such impatience my dear” he said as he thrust himself inside of her.  
“Ahhhh” she groaned, a little from pleasure and a little from pain. He was so large!  
“Are you okay luv” he asked concerned that he may have hurt her.  
“Oh yes” she said. ‘Just give me a moment to adjust”  
He waited until he could feel her begin to move underneath him and then he started to slowly move in and out of her. She was so tight that he almost couldn’t stand it. It took all his willpower not to immediately spill out into her.  
“You feel so good, so tight, so wet” he said.  
“You feel so good I can feel ever single inch of you rubbing inside of me” she said in response.

He took that as a sign that he could safely move faster. He would move almost out and then plunged deep inside of her. Her moans were only matched by his growls and groans. He had never taken such pleasure before. She was amazing. 

“Tom… I’m there baby… I’m there”  
“Let go darling, I’m right there too”

Just like when they bumped into each other earlier in the day they both hollered “fuck” at the exact same time as their releases washed over them. As soon as they could gather their breath they both laughed at how in sync they appeared to be.

“That was without a doubt they best fuck I have ever had!” Tom said looking into Marley’s eyes and then kissing her.

“Agreed!” she replied. “Who knew 6 hrs ago we would discover something so amazing?”

She snuggled in the crook of his arm with her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head affectionately and they fell quietly into an exhausted sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom's nice morning waking up next to Marley changes as she has a surprise for him

When Tom woke up a couple of hours later, he was happy to see Marley still sleeping next to him. He still couldn't get over how much had happened since yesterday morning and how he was so glad he had missed his original flight. They say things happen for a reason and this time he understood exactly what that meant. 

As if his thoughts were transferred to her telepathically, she sensed his presence and woke up. She looked up at him smiling down at her. “I could feel you looking at me even with my eyes closed” she said. “What a beautiful smile to wake up to”

“God you are so gorgeous, I couldn't help it. I could look into these eyes forever, I could touch your soft supple skin forever, and I could kiss these luscious lips forever” he said leaning down to kiss her. “How am I ever going to get over you and resign myself to this being a one-time thing?” he asked.  
“I know I had that thought too, but if we went into this knowing it could lead to more it probably wouldn't have been as good. Desperation and knowing you only get one chance changes how we react to each other, it ups our game.”

“That’s true but somehow I feel like it would have been just as good regardless. We make a pretty awesome pair” he grinned.

“Can’t argue with that” she said running her hand across his chest. She needed one last feel of him.

“Sorry darling, Mother Nature is calling” he said.” But I won’t be long!”

Tom got up and headed into the bathroom. He couldn't wait to get back to her. Maybe there could be more to this, maybe a long distance relationship could be in the cards. It wasn't anything he ever considered before and not really anything he ever wanted, until he met her. What harm could there be in trying? Perhaps he would ask her when he got back. He had nothing to lose.

Tom finished up and opened the bathroom door to head back to her.   
“Hey Marley I was thinking, perhaps we could see each again or…”   
He looked into the bedroom but the bed was empty.

“Marley, where did you go?” he asked looking around the suite. Just then he noticed her suitcase was gone. What happened, he was only gone for a few minutes?

He went towards the bed and noticed a note on his pillow. It read:

Dearest Tom, 

Last night was amazing, truly a one of a kind experience. I’m sorry to have run off but I thought it was better this way. We know we have no future together and I couldn't stand the agony of saying goodbye to you in person. I wanted to leave with the memory of our perfect evening; anything else would have only diminished how special it was. Perhaps in a next life, we will meet up again. For now just know how much you touched me and how I will cherish our night together always. 

Love Marley

 

Tom was in shock. She walked out just like that. Logically she was right, but emotionally she had it all wrong. They could have had more time together, he would have liked that. She left before he could tell her. She was probably still thinking she was just a one night stand to him. While he wasn't sure exactly what it was, or how long it would have lasted, he knew that just one night hadn't been enough for him. 

Not knowing what he wanted to say, he knew he needed to try to talk to her again.  
Tom rang down to the front desk and asked to be connected to her room. The phone rang and rang but no answer. He remembered he had called her cell phone and tried it again. He was greeted with a voice mail message. He called the front desk again and asked for her room number. The clerk said that as much as he would like to assist Mr. Hiddleston, he was unable to give out guest room numbers as it would violate their privacy.

By now Tom was pacing back and forth in his room. He tried to remember if she had told him what room she was in but then he remembered that he only gave her his. He was stuck, with no way to find her. He tried her phone several more times before resigning himself to the fact that there was no point. She truly didn't want to see him again. 

Hmm… that was something new for him. He never had problems with people not wanting to see him; he only had problems with people wanting to see him 24/7. He wasn't really crushed, how could he be, they were only together one night. He was disappointed however as she was someone special to him, even if they barely knew each other. 

Tom switched gears than and concentrated on getting ready for his flight home. At least that would take his mind off of her. It is so ironic that yesterday he was so eager to get there and today he didn't really care.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was Marley thinking? A glimpse into Marley's personality

When Marley woke and saw Tom smiling down at her, she almost changed her mind. She had woken up prior to that and spent the time deciding what she should do. Tom was such a surprise to her, she had never met anyone like him and she had never met anyone that seemed to match her personality in the same way he did.

The reason Marley wasn't currently with anyone wasn't that she couldn't find someone who wanted to be with her, she had lots of opportunities. She wasn't with anyone for 2 reasons- #1 of all the men she had dated none of them really seemed right and those who were the most promising only seemed to complicate her life—which was reason #2. Marley was an independent woman. She had goals in life she wanted to accomplish professionally and she wasn't going to play second fiddle to any man. She had watched her mother never live the life she wanted or deserved because she married her father. Her mother’s role in life was to support him and what he wanted – his goals his preferences. She had watched her mother become an empty shell as she gave up the things she did like and became a recluse. She only left the house when Marley’s dad would drag her out , which wasn't very often, or when they went for their weekly grocery trip. 

Marley had no intention of living the life her mother did. She would never depend on a man to decide her life for her, she was going to work her way into a good career where she would make enough money to support her dreams. Marley loved to travel and she had no plans to settle down in any way that would prevent her from seeing the world. She loved children and she was a good aunt to her brother’s children but she never imagined that life for herself. No Marley knew what she wanted and she was determined to get it. 

Tom was the first man she ever gave even a second thought about. Sure he was gorgeous but that alone wasn't enough. Tom seemed more of an equal to Marley than any man she had met before but that didn't stop the fact that eventually all men were the same. They treated you like a princess while they were dating you and then once they had you locked into marriage they treated you more like a possession and less like a princess or a partner. 

No Marley didn't need a man in her life to complicate things, she was happy as things were. A little sex now and then with a man who didn't mean anything to her was all she needed to keep going. She loved sex but she didn't like to be subservient to anyone. Last night was different because she never gave blowjobs. That was all men wanted and she found it degrading. With Tom it was different. She wanted to please him to reciprocate for how he was pleasing her. He didn't expect it; he did ask for it or worse demand it. He was set on bringing her pleasure and he seemed truly turned on by turning her on. And god knows, she had never had sex with any man who penis was as large and fulfilling as his. She almost blushed when she thought about it. It was no wonder she was a bit sore today, she wouldn't have expected anything less.

While Marley was lying next to him, running things through her mind over and over, she knew she had to stick with her plan and she knew the sooner she could sneak out the easier it would be. Tom was the first man who ever made her question her life goals and she couldn't have him tempt her anymore. If she stayed longer, kissed him more, touched his muscular arms, chest and legs more, had him inside of her more, she knew her resolve would weaken. No, a clean break was best. Leave things as beautiful and unspoiled as they were. 

When Tom went into the bathroom she knew that was her chance. She slipped out of bed and into her clothes. Quickly wrote the note -- she had already decided what she wanted it to say – gathered her suitcase and headed back to her room. She knew she had never given him her room number, nor would the front desk give it to him as it was against policy. He had her cell phone number in his phone but she wouldn't answer it if he called. He probably wouldn't care anyway. He was a movie star who could have any woman he wanted. Why would he ever care about a plain working girl he had met briefly in an airport? She was sure she would be out of his mind the second after he finished reading her note. He would probably be relieved that she left and he didn't have to kick her out. 

Once back in her room, Marley tried to get a couple hours more sleep. It was Sunday and she didn't have to be at work until Monday. Considering they didn't really get much sleep last night she found she was still exhausted. She would turn off her cell phone ringer and her room phone so she could sleep in peace. Anyone who needed her would have to wait.

As she lay on the bed trying to rest, Marley found she was reliving the events of the night before in her mind. She could still smell his scent on her body, and she could picture him lying next to her. What hurt would there be to think of him one more time as she drifted off to sleep? Anyone watching her right then would know she was having a pleasant dream as she fell asleep with the largest smile stretching across her face.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom gets back home and gets a big surprise!

Tom’s plane landed at 9 pm London time. He slept during most of the flight as he was exhausted from his time spent with Marley as well as all the time he spent thinking about her afterwards. He had tried to shake her out of his mind but for now she seemed to be cemented in his brain. Once he was back home he was sure that would pass as he would be too involved in his normal routine to give her another thought. She had made it clear that she wasn't interested in any further communication between them so he would respect that. 

It is so strange how his fans always knew what time his plane was landing since he never knew himself. No matter what time of day it was, there were always fans and photographers waiting for him when he took off or landed. Given his last minute changes in flights, there weren't many people here this time. He smiled his usual Tom smile, the one his public expected. No matter how tired or disappointed he was, he always made sure to give them his smile. Long ago he decided that if people were going to take the time to thank him and support his work that he would ensure they got a pleasant experience out of it. After all they were the reason we was able to do the job he loved.

After a few autographs and photos, Tom was able to make his way to the driver who was waiting for him. He collapsed into the back seat, glad to be able to relax again. It was hard being “Tom Hiddleston” not that he was complaining because he knew how lucky he was, but some days it just took everything out of him. 

On the way home, he got another text from Ben.   
“Hey Mate, you just getting home or what?” Ben texted  
“Not even..on my way from the airport.” Tom replied  
“Tomorrow night…Wells..8 pm..you in?” Ben texted  
“Yep Great” Tom replied  
“CU there”

Tom loved catching up with Ben, they were great chums and both of them knew what it was like to live the celebrity lifestyle. Tom knew he could say whatever he wanted to Ben and he would understand… and vice versa. As much as Tom wanted to get Marley off of his mind, he needed to share his experience with someone and Ben was the perfect person to talk to about it. Yes he would have lots to tell Ben when they got together tomorrow night. For tonight though he had a date with his bed.

Tom collapsed on his bed the moment he reached his apartment. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. When he woke up and opened his eyes he couldn't believe what he was seeing. “Marley what are you doing here?” he asked. Marley was not only right there in front of him, but her deliciously naked body was stretched out in bed next to him. 

“I thought I wanted to stay away Tom but I couldn't. All I wanted to do was to get back to your bed.”  
“But how? How did….” He was silenced by her lips on top of his.   
“Tom, do you want to waste time asking questions or do you want to kiss me?” she asked.  
Instead of answering her, he responded by placing his hands on both sides of her face and kissing her deeply.  
“That’s better” she said as she started to kiss his cheeks and neck moving towards his ear for a nibble.  
He lay there and let her smother him in kisses, moaning as she did, as the sensation of her mouth upon him delighted his senses. When he could wait no longer, he flipped her over in bed and began suckling her breasts. He loved to hear her moans, they turned him on so. 

“I need you now Tom” she said “I need you inside me”  
Feeling the need for her just as much as her need for him, he settled himself between her legs. Placing himself at her core he was just about to enter her when he could hear an alarm going off somewhere in his house.

Tom turned his head towards the noise and when he looked back towards Marley, she wasn't there! All these thoughts were suddenly spinning through Tom’s mind- where did Marley go, why was he in bed alone, and what was that infernal noise that wouldn't stop?!   
He turned quickly, his hand hitting something and all of a sudden the noise stopped as abruptly as it had started. 

Tom sat straight up in bed, trying to focus on what he was looking at. He could see his closet and he could see the window with the breathtaking view of the Heath. He looked beside him and he saw his alarm clock knocked over on the table. He then realized what had happened – Marley wasn’t with him, she never was, he was dreaming her all along.  
It had seemed so real! It was like he could smell her scent and feel her silky skin. Instead all that was in bed with him were several pillows which he had pulled up against his body.

He really shouldn't have been surprised that he dreamt about her since she was all he had thought about for the last 36 hours since they had met. He had been exhausted and so of course his mind would find it hard to relax. Wow, his imagination must be really powerful to be able to bring her to life so vividly!

Tom drug himself out of bed and into the shower, deciding he really needed to wake up. He needed to do something he would normally do after a long trip away in order to shake this feeling of her out of his mind. When he was done in the shower, he decided to call his mom to see if she would be home. She liked to see her whenever he got back into town after a long trip. He and his mother were very close. For a long time when he was younger she was the only parent in the home and she depended on Tom for some of the more ‘manly’ tasks. With three women in the house Tom became the expert mouse catcher, spider killer and garbage hauler. Although when his sister Emily got older she was able to give him a run for his money when it came to strength. It wasn't until Tom started purposefully bulking up for different acting roles that he really developed any muscle.

Tom’s mom Diane answered the phone on the first ring, excited to hear he was back and going to be able to come visit her. He arranged to join her for lunch. While he really should have gone for a run this morning he was going to forego it for today as he was still looking to take it easy and relax. Transitioning from a movie set in America to his home in London meant not only adjusting to the time difference—anywhere from 5-9 hours depending on which coast he was on—but also adjusting his daily schedule. When he was home he tried continuing to get up early but he found he normally stayed out later than when he was on set. Also when on set he knew what his schedule was a few days in advance where at home he preferred not to make as many detailed plans, he liked to go with the flow instead.

The first morning he was home was generally all about unpacking and doing laundry, grocery shopping and restocking his bar. Tom liked entertaining at his and it was important that he had everything he needed to be a good host. He always thought it was funny how people think celebrities have all this staff working for them that do all these menial tasks, when in reality unless you were uber famous like Oprah or The Beckhams, celebrities did these tasks themselves. He did on occasions hire a cleaning company to give his place the once over but he had to be so careful. Several times in the past some of his ‘things’ went missing. He really hated it when he couldn't find his favorite ‘pants’ only to later have someone tells him they saw his undies on EBay going for a lot of money. Lately he found it better to pay someone he knew to clean as he needed someone he could trust. Besides cleaning he did everything else himself including dishes. Diane would have a fit if she ever heard that Tom thought he was too good to do dishes as she raised him to be responsible for himself.

Tom finished folding the last of his newly cleaned clothes and headed out to his mom’s for lunch, making sure to stop at the local flower shop to buy some of her favorite Gerber daisies on his way.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley tries to deal with what happened with Tom and confides in a friend

Marley spent most of Sunday morning relaxing in her hotel room. As much as she had planned to take in the sights of the city today, now all she wanted to do was relax, get some extra sleep and maybe watch a movie. She had a friend who lived an hour away who was going to try to come visit her. She called her up to see if she wanted to come join her at the hotel.

“Hey Maggie, its Marley. I made it” she said.  
“Yay! Did you just get in?”  
“Actually I got in yesterday but things didn't exactly go as planned. Would you care to drive here and hang out with me? We could watch some movies and I would fill you in on all my excitement from yesterday.”  
“Sounds good. Give me an hour or so and I’ll be there. Text me your hotel and room number”  
“Great, see you soon”

Marley was glad Maggie was coming to keep her company. She also very much wanted to tell someone what happened to her yesterday but she wasn't sure whether she should tell everything or not. What if Maggie thought she was making it up? What if she thought she was a slut for jumping into bed with a man she had only known 5 hours? Keeping this to herself was killing Marley. She needed to tell someone and Maggie was a good friend even if they only saw each other every couple of years. 

Marley was trying to decide what she should do to keep herself occupied while she was waiting for Maggie to arrive. So far she had resisted looking Tom up on the internet as she thought the less she knew about him the better. Her curiosity was getting the better of her; however, and she really wanted to know more. As much as she was sure she didn't want any more involvement with him, she was still anxious to find out exactly who this man was that turned her world upside down for 24 hours. 

The hotel had left a free newspaper under her door so she decided to check it out while she was waiting for Maggie, rather than to succumb to the urge to check the internet. She glanced over the current events and national and international news sections. She didn't have much interest in politics so she skipped over most of that section. She glanced at the sports to see how her local hockey team had done. Fashion wasn't really her thing either. As she flipped through she did see a crossword puzzle that she decided she would try. She liked puzzles and it would keep her amused for a while.

She had been working on the puzzle for a while and was trying to solve 29 down when she got a text message. Maggie was letting her know she was only 5 mins away. Marley texted Maggie back telling her she would meet her in the lobby. She hauled on her shoes and headed down.

Right on schedule she saw Maggie pull up and park in the guest parking. When she came through the doors, Marley greeted her with a warm hug. 

“Mags I am so glad to see you, you look great!”  
“So do you Marley. It’s been too long”  
“Definitely. That’s because you never come see me in Moncton. The only time we get to visit is if I come here to see you”  
“I know I’m sorry but things just haven't worked out that I have been able to return the favor. Soon though I promise”  
“You better” Marley said laughing, “come on let’s go upstairs”

The two friends got in the elevator and went to Marley’s room. When they reached the door, there was a note on it from the hotel concierge. Marley peeled off the note cautiously wondering what on earth it could be about. 

“Dear Ms Prince, inside you will find a gift that just arrived for you. We thought you would prefer we leave it in your room since we didn’t know when you would be back.” It was signed by the concierge. 

“A present!” Maggie said “Hurry and open the door so we can see”  
Marley put her key in the lock and opened the door carefully as she wasn't sure what she would find inside. 

On the desk there was a bouquet of Gerber daisies and a small box wrapped in gold paper.  
“Oh the flowers are beautiful” Maggie said. “Is there a card?”  
“Doesn't seem to be. Maybe inside the box?”  
Marley opened the box and the biggest smile crossed her face. 

“What is it Marley?” Maggie asked anxious to find out what was making Marley smile.  
“Well, it’s something you wouldn't expect” she said. She pulled out of the box a pair of men’s boxer briefs with the union jack printed on them.  
“Men’s underwear? WTF?’ Maggie asked. “I am guessing by your smile you know who they are from?”  
“Yes I do” she said, “It has to do with my odd day yesterday”  
There was no card in the box but she didn't need one to know they were from Tom. They were a new pair, but they smelled just like his scent. He must have sprayed them with his cologne”  
“Okay girl you better spill it! This is a story I know I need to hear” Maggie said.

Marley spent the next hour filling Maggie in on her day’s events. She told her about how she met Tom in the airport, about her mixing up her suitcase with his and about them having dinner together. While she hadn't planned on telling her everything, the underwear in the box made it difficult to not tell her.

“I couldn't help it; there was something about the man that made him irresistible. Not just because he had a crazy sexy body, but he was so charming – not insincerely so but genuinely so. There was an instant connection between us; he said he felt it too. I had no plans to sleep with him, but once we kissed, I knew I could no longer make my lips say no.”

“Wow sounds mysterious and exciting” Maggie replied after hearing the enthusiasm in Marley’s voice. 

“It was. Anyway when he took off his pants, he was wearing a pair of these” Marley said holding up the briefs. I made him turn around so I could get the full effect and he did a little dance for me”  
“Nice”  
“They were even nicer wrapped around his sexy hips. I never thought I would ever get involved with an actor but I guess never say never” she added

“Wait a minute…he’s an actor? You never told me that” Maggie said ‘Is he someone famous?”  
“Didn't I?” Marley grinned. “That’s probably because I didn't know and still don’t really know who he is. Apparently he is quite famous from what he was saying about his fans. Have you ever heard of Tom Hiddleston?”

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Maggie exclaimed. “You not only met but slept with Tom Hiddleston?”

“Yes I guess I did. Is he really that big of a movie star?” Marley asked.  
“He’s only one of the biggest things to come out of Britain since the Beatles! Are you sure he wasn't just saying that to get him to sleep with you? Maybe he was impersonating Tom” Maggie cautioned.

“Only one way to find out” Marley said “I have been avoiding this but let’s look him up” 

“Let me” Maggie said as she pulled out her tablet and pulled up the IMDB site. This page had everything about anyone who had ever acted in anything. He would definitely be in here.

“Okay so here is a picture of Tom Hiddleston. Is this him?” she asked.  
Marley looked at the photo. While he looked different in this picture than when he was here, there was no mistaking those eyes or that smile. She nodded.

Maggie let out a small scream. “You SLEPT with TOM freaking HIDDLESTON!”  
“I guess I did…good thing I didn't know he was that big of a star or I might have been nervous. To me he was just a fabulous man who I had a lot in common with. I can see why he is a star if he treats everyone as good as he treated me. So what has he acted in then?” she asked

“Here take a look” Maggie said as she scrolled through the IMDB screen.  
“He has done Shakespeare—it was phenomenal! He has done a couple of TV shows, and for movies he has done everything from being a vampire, to F Scott Fitzgerald, to a war hero with a horse. His most famous role is Loki from the comics. He has played him 3 times now.”  
“Yes he mentioned that to me but I didn't really follow Thor so I didn't know what he meant.  
“Well sister I think today is education day. Hand me that newspaper” Maggie said. She flipped to the entertainment section.  
“Yes!” she said “I thought I saw that Thor 2 was playing again in the cheap theatre this weekend. Look there is a showing at 3 pm and you and I are going to go. It would be better to start with the original Thor movie but this will have to do. You need to see your ‘man’ in action. Then you will know why millions of woman would have died to have done what you did”  
“Okay. I was thinking a movie today anyway and a theatre is better than on TV. Let’s get a late lunch and then we can head there. Just give me a minute to dress a little more appropriately for going out in public” Marley suggested.

“Sounds great. I can’t wait for you to see him in action!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me your comments as I value your opinions. I have been away on holiday but expect to have a new chapter this week.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom sees his Mum and catches up with the boys

“Mmm! Mom your apple crumble is jolly amazing. I could eat the whole lot.” Tom said.  
“And I know you would if I let you” she said smacking his hand away from the dish.   
“Ah Mum, come on. I haven’t had your home made puddings in so long and I may not get any again for a while” he said giving his mother his best sad face.

“Don’t try using those sad puppy dog eyes on me Thomas William! You may be able to get millions of woman to drop to their knees and do whatever you want them to do, but they have no effect on your mother!” she scolded him.  
“And people wonder why I am able to stay so grounded” he said, smiling ever so sweetly at his mother.

Tom’s sister Emily walked into the kitchen to see what was going on.  
“I should have known I would find you at the food trough” she said. “Whenever there is food, that’s where you will find Tom”  
“Hey that’s not fair” he complained, “I am usually on such a minimalist diet that I eat what I want to when I don’t have to train so hard. Besides you get to taste Mum’s good cooking all the time so I am just making up for lost time”

“Whatever you think” she said. “So how long you home for this time?”  
“Not sure. Depends on how long the additional filming is for the Avengers. I am not sure how much they are involving Loki in this one. Why did you have some plans for me?”

“Not really but if something comes up that I think you would be interested in than I will know whether to think about including you or not”

“Let me know what’s up and I’ll see what I can do. So have you gone to any new auditions while I was gone?” he asked  
“Not really there isn't much going on these days that isn't theater and unlike you, theater really isn't my thing” she replied.  
“Hey you know what I say…don’t knock until you've tried it”   
“I know I know. Someday maybe”

“Tom, so you never did tell me why you were so late coming home. I thought you were supposed to get back a day earlier?” Diane asked.

“Well, I ended up missing my original flight because my alarm didn't go off so I had to take another plane. Then I couldn't get a direct flight home so I had to do an overnight in Toronto.”  
“Oh Canada” his sister said “I love Canada. The men there are so cute.”  
“The women aren't bad either” Tom said smiling to himself, thinking about Marley.  
“Oh?” his mother asked. “Did something happen in Toronto Tom?”  
“Not really. But I did have a bit of a mix-up with a Canadian girl” he said.   
“Do tell” his sister urged

Tom filled them in on how he met Marley and the confusion with the luggage but he stopped the story at the part where they had dinner. He didn’t really want to share their night together with his mother and sister. They didn’t need to know, he didn’t need them to make fun of him and he wanted to keep the details between him and Marley.

“So was she a pretty bird?” his mother asked  
“Yes I guess you could say so” he said not wanting to show his true feelings about her.  
“Will you two continue to correspond?”  
“No Mum, it was just a chance meeting and a supper companion that’s all” he said  
“That’s too bad. It would nice if you could find someone special to share your life with” she said

“Now mother, don’t be going all match maker on me. If you become as bad as Benedict’s mother Wanda I will have to lock you in a closet! You know the kind of life I lead does not allow me to have much personal time. Who would want to be my significant other always being left behind and not getting to see me for weeks at a time? That’s too much to ask of anyone.”

“Thomas dear, if you find the right person that won’t matter because having one day together will make up for all the days apart. Trust me, being together all the time doesn't give a person any space to breathe or be themselves. Look at your father and I, we were together and it didn't work out. There is no magic formula; the only thing required is that the two people who belong together find each other.”

“I get is Mum. I’ll keep that in mind” Tom replied, and then abruptly changed the subject before she could interrogate him some more.

Tom finished the day at his mums and then headed back home in time to have a little nap before meeting Ben at the Wells for drinks. The Wells was a great little pub that they both enjoyed and because they were regulars there, the owner made sure to set them up in a private part of the bar so they could have some privacy.

When Tom arrived he saw that Ben had also invited his friend Adam and their mutual friend Mark to join them.   
“Welcome back Tom, how was life in Louisiana” Mark asked  
“Just great. It was a quiet little town so we didn't get the usual fan attacks that I have gotten elsewhere and the project went well. I am glad to be home though”  
“I hear you. There is nothing like coming home after several months away on a shoot” Ben replied.  
“So anything interesting happen while you were gone?” Adam asked.  
“No not really, just the usual” Tom answered. While he was dying to tell Ben what happened on his trip home, he didn't want to tell the others. 

“Come on Tom, a stud like you must have had some interesting encounters while you were stateside” Mark pushed.  
“Yes tell us all about your conquests” Adam added.  
“What is there to tell?” Tom asked. “It was the usual 12-16 hour days of filming and so most nights I just went back to my hotel to read the next day’s script and crash. There were a few girls along the way but nothing more than a casual night here and there.”

“I am sure the Hiddleston fan club was full of many amazing hard bodies and great racks” Ben grinned.  
“Well yes there were lots of beautiful bodies and faces but not really too many with beautiful souls” Tom replied.

“Beautiful souls?” Mark asked. “Since when is that a quality you need in a bed-mate?”  
Ben and Adam laughed with Mark over his statement.

“I know, I know, normally it doesn't really matter I guess, but for some reason I believe that is maybe something I need in my life now” Tom answered.  
“Well blow me down! Tom Hiddleston is getting all sensitive!” Ben joked  
“All that Shakespeare is turning your brain to mush Mate!” Mark added.

“Okay time to move off of me and onto you guys” Tom said. “Ben what new movies have you signed on for?”

That was enough to change the subject to something other than Tom’s sexual preferences. Tom was relieved for now but he really wanted to talk to Benedict to tell him the whole story.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom confides in Ben

2 hours later when Benedict and Tom were sufficiently inebriated and Adam and Mark and gone home, Tom decided it was time to spill the beans to Ben about meeting Marley.

“Hey Ben, I wasn't completely honest earlier when you guys asked me about women while I was away” Tom started.

“Oh?” said Benedict “and what exactly did you leave out you stud you?” he grinned  
“The reason I didn't say anything before is that this was too personal for me to tell the others. I only feel comfortable sharing this with you so you have to promise not to tell anyone else what I am about to tell you. Can you promise that?” Tom asked  
“Absoluterly” Ben said perfectly slurring the word. He took 2 fingers, crossed them and then held them up to his chest “Cross my heart and hope to die Mate!”

“So I told you that I had to stay over in Toronto for a night on my way home, what I didn't tell you was that I didn't spend the night by meself” he giggled and quickly took another swig of his Jameson.

“You dirty dog you! Why didn't you want to tell the others? You know we all like to hear a good shagging story?” he asked He tried to give Tom a punch in the arm but instead he missed and almost banged his face into the table.

“Careful there Ben, you don’t want to mess up that super sexy face of yours. Then what would the tabloids do?”  
“Woo you are right… wouldn't want to mess up the money maker! Although I hope I could act even if I wasn't as sexy” he said and then he made one of his curled up lip faces making Tom “ehehehe” again.

“So what was so special about this woman?” Ben asked.  
“That’s just it, I don’t know why but she struck a chord with me and I can’t seem to get her out of my mind. We ran into each other accidentally on the way to get our luggage. She was in a hurry as her luggage was the last one on the belt and when she walked by me she dropped her purse and the contents went all over the floor. I bent down to help her pick things up and I was greeted with the most amazing brown eyes I have ever seen. She had deep brown hair as well, the color of chocolate, and you know how much I love my chocolate” Tom paused to take another drink.

“So was she tall and leggy and built like a brick shithouse?” Ben asked.  
“No she wasn't. She didn't look like a model and she certainly didn't act like one. She was extremely curvaceous, and I guess she was tall but not nearly as tall as I am. But her body was not what most interested me”

“Seriously?” Ben asked. “Since when does a woman’s body not interest you? You aren't playing for the other side now are you?”

“Relax Ben I still like women, or in particular this woman. So it was after I helped her collect her things that she noticed her luggage was about to head back into the baggage area. Since I knew I could get there faster I ran to get the bag for her.”  
“Aw what a gentlerman you were” Benedict said, trying to take another drink of his vody- his vodka tonic.  
“Benedict-t-t-t please let me finish my shtory” It was Tom’s turn to start slurring.   
“Go on mate” Ben urged. “I will endebour to refrain from storious interruptious!”   
“Good. Now where was I… oh yes. I grabbed her bag and brought it back to where we were standing. She said only a couple of more words to me and then rushed off before I could name her get, I mean get her name. Eheheh!” 

“So she was gone and that was it?” Ben managed to get out.  
“Noooo there is more. I went to my hotel and had a shower. When I got out, I went to my suitcase to take out my clothes and found this lovely set of pink lace bra and panties”  
Tom showed him a picture on his camera he had taken of them.  
“Nice, darrrling” Ben cooed, “not sure they are your color though” he laughed.  
“Exactly. You should have seen the look on my face. I had the wrong suitcase; I had Marley’s instead of mine!”  
“Marley, I was wondering how long it would take for you to tell her my name or tell me her name” Ben said.  
“Yes Marley” Tom said as he suddenly pictured her face, and remembered the feel of her lips on his.  
“You must be over the moon Tom because you just left planet earth.”  
“Hun? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about her”  
“Get to the good stuff lover boy”  
“Well it turns out she and I were staying in the same hotel. I arranged to have her meet me in my room, since she could wear my clothes but I couldn't fit in hers. I had to settle for the bathrobe until she got there.”

“So what did she look like in your clothes?”  
“Hot” Tom said quickly. “And more importantly, I knew she was commando which was even hotter!”  
“Lucky boy. So what happened next?”  
“So we changed into our normal clothes and had supper. I can’t explain it Ben, but something just clicked between us. I have never met a woman that I have been so drawn to before in more than a sexual way. You know me; I’m not looking for anything permanent or serious. The lifestyle we live is too crazy to bring anyone else into it, especially someone I care about. My love life is pretty simple, hot babes for one night stands only. Up front honesty and no broken hearts—only good times”

“I think I hear a but coming” Benedict coaxed

“Yes, but, I kept thinking to myself, sometimes you only get one chance at something and I didn't want to waste that chance. As it turns out Marley was feeling the same way about me. We knew what we were experiencing was something special, something more than just a one night stand and so we took the chance and decided to make the most of the time we had together” Even as he spoke Tom got a faraway look in his eyes as he thought of their time together. 

“Tom I have never seen you like this before, not even with previous girlfriends!’ Ben said.  
“It was like I had found the perfect woman even if it was only for one night. And in the morning she pulled a Cinderella on me and when I woke up she was gone” he said

“Gone? What do you mean gone?”

“She left me a note, telling me how much our night meant to her but she knew that was all we would ever have so she left while she could, wanting to make it as painless as possible”  
“Okay now you are giving me goosebumps! Only one night with this woman and you feel as connected to her as I do to Sophie and we have been dating for several months. She must be special!” Ben replied.

“Marley said it; we truly were ships that passed in the night.” Tom shook his head as if to clear his mind. “Now I have to move on as what we had is gone and I have to get back to my life” he said.

“Don’t know Mate, seems like you might find that harder than you think” Benedict said.

“Don’t worry I know how hard it will be but I don’t have a choice. Now where were we before I got us all sappy? Tell me more about how you and Sophie are getting along.”

And with that the subject was closed, at least for the moment


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley finds out more about her Tom

Marley sat still in her seat as the credits were rolling across the screen.  She was in shock over what she had seen.  She thought she had spent the night with a just any old ordinary actor, now she knew Tom was far from ordinary.  She knew he had fans but she had no idea the magnitude of his popularity.  
   
Maggie looked at her and smiled.  She knew what Marley was thinking.  Everyone got that awestruck look on their faces after seeing Tom Hiddleston play Loki.  The character was so vivid and Tom was so amazing in his portrayal of the villain that people liked him more than the hero Thor.  Not only was his acting amazing but the long black hair he wore only further accentuated his crystalline blue eyes and his sharp cheekbones.  He was a thing of beauty to behold.  
   
“So what did you think?” Maggie asked.  
“I think I am not sure what I think.  I had no idea how incredible he is as an actor.  I can’t believe I spent the night with Loki!”  Marley replied.  
   
“Shhh, don’t say that too loud or you will have a hundred women attacking you wanting to know how it was” Maggie said.  
   
“Does he really have that many followers?” Marley asked  
“Does he?!  When you get back to the hotel google ‘Hiddlestoners’ then you will see exactly what kind of following he had.  
   
Marley was lost in her thoughts.  Not that it changed how she felt about Tom in anyway, it didn’t matter to her if he were famous or not.  But it did make her wonder why someone like him would want to be with her.   It wasn’t a lack of self-confidence, she knew she was as good as the next person and she had lots of things to offer a man.  What she didn’t understand was why Tom would have been so drawn to her in the first place as she definitely wasn’t Hollywood glamorous.    
   
She was glad he had taken an interest in her as he wasn’t what she expected from someone so famous.   He wasn’t pompous, he didn’t make huge demands of people and other than his nice hotel room he didn’t seem to live in a world with outrageous luxuries.  
Tom was someone she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  He was an enigma and just because of that she couldn’t stop thinking about him.  Too bad they had no future together.  
   
“Marley??? Where did you go?” Maggie asked.  
“Oh nowhere” she replied.  She didn’t want to elaborate to Maggie as she and Tom were a dead end street. No sense dragging it out longer than it needed to be by fantasizing about what could be.  
   
“So are you going to see him again?”  
“No, of course not.  This was a onetime thing and he being famous certainly doesn’t change that. So it is time to move onto another subject” Marley said squashing any other attempts Maggie made to open the subject.  
   
When Marley got back to her hotel room and had some alone time, she did as Maggie suggested and looked up ‘Hiddlestoners’ online.  Marley was amazed at how many tumblr sites were devoted to Loki and Tom in particular.  There were pages and pages of pictures of Tom from every angle doing the most ordinary things.  It didn’t matter if he was posing for a photo session, signing autographs or just walking down the street, there was thousands of pictures of him.  There were so many, that Marley couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen them before.  Had she been hiding under a rock?  
   
Not only pictures but the comments from his diehard fans ranged from sweet to slightly obsessive.  No wonder Maggie had shushed Marley up in the theatre as she would have been mobbed.  Marley was convinced more than ever that leaving Tom when she did was the best idea.  She could only imagine the crazy life he must have and how he would have no privacy at all.  No that definitely was not the life she wanted to live.  
   
Marley spent the next couple of days with Maggie in Toronto attending her business meetings.  She was sorry when her visit came to an end, not just because she was leaving her friend but because she was leaving the place where she shared that magical evening with Tom.  Once she left the hotel it was definitely over as her memories would stay there.  At home there would be no place that reminded her of him. As hard as it was to think that this was completely over, Marley knew it was for the best.  At least getting back home would get her back into her regular routine and allow her to move on.  Normality was what she needed now- at least that is what she was telling herself anyway.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom goes back to work but finds things different than before

After making the rounds and catching up with all the friends and family he has missed while he had been in Lousiana, it was time for Tom to start filming for Avengers 2.  He was so glad when the director and writers decided to bring him for the end of the movie as he was always excited when he got to bring Loki back.  Initially they weren’t sure that he was going to make an appearance but they decided they needed him to help bridge this story into the next Thor movie.  He and Idris Elba were both brought back.  It was supposed to be a surprise to audiences until Idris spilled the beans in an interview.  
   
Loki meant long hours and lots of time in the makeup chair but it was worth it.  After all Loki did for Tom what Sherlock had done for Ben, he wouldn’t have all these other starring roles if it weren’t for Loki.  
   
First days on set are always interesting because as much as most of the people there have done this before; there is no natural reoccurring rhythm to a movie set.  The rhythm only develops once everyone knows what’s expected of them and once they all get used to each other.   It was a little easier this time since most of the cast and crew had been filming this for a while and only a couple of them were just starting back.   Today would be about greeting old cast mates, catching up with familiar members of the crew but mostly it would be about walking through with the director exactly where they were going to be starting from.  Today Tom would get his feet wet and tomorrow would be the big day, the day the Loki makeup and costume came back out of the closet.  
   
There weren’t many of the other Avengers on set that day.  Tom was disappointed as he wanted to catch up.  They had all became his good friends after the first Avengers movie.  
Just as he was wondering if any of them were around, he stumbled into Mark.  Mark Ruffalo and Tom always had a good time together.  They loved clowning around on and off set.  
   
“There he is” Mark said and he strode over to Tom and gave him a big brotherly hug.  
“Hey Mark, yes the party can start now because I’m here” Tom replied grinning from ear to ear. “Guess you guys didn’t know how to make a movie without me” he quipped.  
   
“Well we do know how to, but we figured it you were in it and it bombed we would have someone to blame it on!” Mark answered back  
“Ohhh burn! I felt that one” Tom said pretending to be hurt.  
“You asked for it!  So how was Louisiana?” Mark asked.  
“Great.  I loved the singing gig!  It was a blast”  
   
“That’s good.  So anything interesting happen while you were away?  Any new babes in your life?” Mark asked  
“Why is that all anyone wants to know?” Tom replied.  “I had supper with Ben and Mark Strong and they wanted to know the same thing.  Is that all you guys think I do?”  
“No but that’s all you do that interests us” Mark said.  
“Again with the burns.  What have I done to you?’ Tom asked  
“Nothing but be your normal perfect self.  Just trying to find that chink in the armor my friend.  It’s so hard to be friends with Mr. Perfect” Mark teased  
“Well it is true that I am a hard act to follow mate” Tom said with a wicked grin.  
“Okay enough of this garbage are you ready to get to work?”  
“Sure am.  Time to get my Loki on.  Now that my hair has been dyed black again, I feel his presence creeping back.”  
“As you say- it’s good to be bad” Mark added.  
   
Mark and Tom headed off to find the director and to get on with the rest of the work they needed to do that day.    
   
The next morning started off early with Tom in the makeup chair at 5am.  Thankfully Tom was a morning person and he showed up as cheerful as always.  Dina his makeup artist was there and ready when he arrived.  
   
“Good morning Dina, so lovely to see you again” he said sweeping her into one of his infamous hugs.  
“Good morning Tom, so here we are again, you me and Loki!” she said  
“Yes darling, too bad he always needs to be between us” Tom said with a chuckle.  
   
“So, are you glad to be back in London?” she asked  
“Yes I am.  I love to travel and see new places but there is nowhere like home.” He replied  
“I know we missed you on set.  It wasn’t the same Avengers without you” she said.  
“Aw thank you luv.  I missed you too”  
   
They continued making small talk as Dina applied his makeup.  Tom liked Dina, she was a nice girl and she did have some beautiful legs.  Legs that any man would love to have wrapped around his waist, or his neck.  Tom shook his head trying to get those thoughts out of his mind.  It wasn’t professional to get a hard-on while sitting in your makeup chair.  He has sat in Dina’s chair many times and never had a reaction like this. He quickly turned his mind back to the lines he would be running that day in order to get himself back into the right frame of mind.  
   
After makeup it was off to wardrobe to put on all the metal and leather that was Loki.  This was the hardest part as the darn costume was so heavy.  It was a good thing Tom was in good shape or he would collapse under the weight of it.   Sheila was his wardrobe person.  It was her job to squeeze him into the tight outfit.  Normally Tom would not have given it a second thought but all of a sudden today he was enjoying the feel of Sheila’s hands on his legs and behind as she helped him put on his suit.  For the second time that day Tom’s mind went to an impure place.  He could picture Sheila’s delicate hands wrapped tightly around his cock.    
   
“Stop it man” he said to himself except he said it out loud instead.  
“I’m sorry Tom, stop what?” Sheila asked  
“Oh nothing, I’m sorry luv, I was running some lines in my head and I guess I said it out loud.  Carry on.” He tried to cover up his fumble. He was really talking to himself and trying to stop thinking of her in this way.  He had to put his head back in the game.  
   
When Tom was finally out of wardrobe and heading back to the set, he tried to figure out what putting him in such a randy mood.  He wasn’t normally like this.  Sure when the time was right he certainly enjoyed the company of a female companion but he had never had problems keeping professional thoughts on set before.  
   
At the end of the day Mark decided that he and Tom and a few others from the crew should go out for a few drinks.  They had gotten a lot of Tom’s scenes done and the next day they were going to be working on another scene that neither Tom nor Mark were in.  
   
They dropped into a small pub near the lot that catered to actors.  It was an out of the way place that only locals knew and even they didn’t go there often.  Tom and Mark and a couple of others took a table in the back of the pub.   After a few glasses of Jameson to unwind, Tom thoughts turned back to his fantasies from earlier in the day.  
   
“Mark, do you know Dina from makeup and Sheila from wardrobe?”  
“Yes of course I do.  Dina does all my makeup and Sheila helps put together my Dr. Banner outfits.  Why?”  
“Just wondering if you ever had any impure thoughts towards either of them?” he asked  
“Impure?  Well they are both very lovely and I wouldn’t turn them out of my bed if that’s what you mean, but I havent really thought about them before.  Again I ask why?”  
   
“Something weird happened to me today” he said “two times.  I was sitting in makeup and all of a sudden I looked at Dina’s long legs and I couldn’t help but picture them wrapped around my waist and then my neck...if you know what I mean.  It’s strange because I never thought of her in that way before.  Then it happened a second time with Sheila when she was helping me put on the costume.  All I could think about was her warm delicate hands wrapped around my dick.”  
“Wow, you obviously need to get some man!” Mark laughed.  “I know both of those ladies are pretty enough, but I also know you are a professional and not like the rest of the hound dogs on the cast. What brought on this lust big guy?”  
   
“Not sure.  But I know it can’t happen again tomorrow.” Tom said  
“Well only one way to cure that, we need to get you laid!  Not that I think you will have any problem with that.”  
   
“Well if I must” Tom said with a grin. Perhaps that was all it was.  He hadn’t had sex in a couple of weeks since he was last with Marley.  Maybe his body was telling him it was time. “Let’s see what we can do” he said as he and Mark headed up to the bar.  
   
 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Mark meet some people at the bar

As Tom and Mark approached the bar they could see 4 people sitting there. There was a man about 25 years old who was desperately trying to pick up a young lady who was about the same age. From where he stood, Tom could see she was very attractive. She had a pair of nice shapely legs that were peeking out below a short black skirt. She had ample cleavage and very pretty blue eyes. The man wasn't unattractive himself but from what Tom could hear he could tell he was clearly trying too hard and it didn't appear he was getting anywhere. 

Next to them were 2 more ladies who looked like they were in their late 20’s early 30’s who were sipping martinis and laughing at some inside joke between them. They were very attractive also and their choice of skimpy outfits made it clear they were out to have some fun. Mark decided to have a chat with the 2 young women while Tom stayed just behind him. 

“Hello Ladies, you look like you are having a fun evening” he commented to them.  
The older of the two women, turned towards Mark. She flashed him a smile with her bright red lips as she realized who he was. “Are you Mark Ruffalo?” she asked  
“Yes I am but Shhh…let’s not tell everyone” he grinned.  
“I am a fan” she said as she uncrossed and crossed her legs in front of him. She held out her hand to shake his. “Susie” she said.  
Mark took her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it, trying to act gentlemanly as women seemed to eat that stuff up. “Pleasure to meet you Susie. And you are?” he asked turning to the other woman.   
She held her hand out as well. “Carrie” she said as he pulled her hand to his mouth as well.  
“Nice to meet you too Carrie. So what are you two lovely ladies up to tonight? You seem to be doing lots of giggling”  
“Just having a couple of drinks and laughing at the men trying too hard to pick up the women in this place. It’s hysterical how desperate some of these men sound” Susie said.  
“Yes” Carrie added “The guy sitting at the table behind you has tried every cliche in the book, even the ‘what’s your sign’ line. How pathetic!”

“Now, now, girls, go easy on the poor boys. Not everyone can be as suave as my mate Tom and I” as he said Tom’s name, he turned to look for him to introduce him to the women but when he did Tom was not there.  
“Where did he go?” Mark asked confused.  
“He’s over there, I think” Carrie said as she pointed over Susie shoulder to a man who was walking towards the young man and woman at the end of the bar.

While Tom was watching Mark engage his pickup lines on the ladies, he could overhear the conversation at the other end of the bar. The young lady clearly didn't want anything to do with the man who was trying so hard to pick her up yet he didn't seem to understand that. Tom, being the Good Samaritan that he is, decided he would try to help her out. 

“Hey mate, I think the lady has made it clear she is not interested. You should move along” While Tom wasn't particularly threatening in his appearance, his height allowed him to tower well above the man which seemed to make the man nervous.  
“Okay, no problem here. I didn't know she was with you” the man said.  
“She’s not but that doesn't mean I won’t do whatever I need to, to get her to stop harassing her” he said.  
“Fine, I know when I’m not wanted” and he got off his stool and backed away.  
“Well that went better than I was afraid it might go” Tom said smiling at the young woman.  
“Thank you so much!” she said. “I didn't think he was ever going to get the hint and leave me alone”   
“Well I can see why he would be interested” he said “as you are very lovely. But that doesn't give him the right to ignore your wishes”  
“Thank you” she said again, smiling up at him. “Please sit down so I can buy you a drink as a reward for you chivalry”  
“No thanks is needed really, but I would enjoy having a drink with you none the less” Tom replied and he sat on the now empty bar stool beside her.  
The woman looked at him intently as she sat down. “You look familiar” she said, “Where do I know you from?”  
“I am an actor, perhaps you saw me on stage?” he asked. Tom didn't like to give too much away. He didn't like to dwell on his celebrity.  
“Maybe” she said. Then her eyes flashed that bit of recognition as she figured out who he was. “You aren't Tom Hiddleston are you?” she asked  
“Ehehehe” Tom laughed his infamous laugh. “Yes I am”  
She looked at him for a moment as if figuring out how to respond. “So then Yes I have seen you on stage, and in the movies and on TV. You are kind of hard to miss” she replied.  
“I guess I will take that as a compliment” he grinned  
“Yes it is. I do very much enjoy your work. But what are you doing here?” she asked.  
“Well I live in London you know and I am doing some work on the movie right now. My friend Mark thought I should come out for a drink” he said pointing to Mark who was now sitting down between the 2 young women further up the bar. “He thought I could use a bit of fun” Tom added.

“Fun is always needed” she said.  
“Now that you know who I am, you haven't yet told me your name” he said.  
“Oh I’m sorry. My name is Ginger”  
“Ginger…hmm what an interesting name.”  
“Yes my parents were fans of the TV show Gillian’s island and so they names me Ginger even though my hair is not red”.  
“Well it seems to fit you” he smiled  
“Thanks. Now what can I get you for a drink?” she asked  
Tom looked over at the bartender and ordered his usual Jameson on the rocks as Ginger order another Screwdriver. Once they received their drinks, Tom held up his glass to hers and said “Cheers to getting rid of unwanted pests”  
“And to meeting new white knights” Ginger added.  
Tom’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He excused himself while he reached in and checked the message. It was from Mark “Find someone to have fun with?” he texted  
Tom replied “yes it looks like it could be a very FUN evening” as he glanced over at the lovely legs stretched out in front of him.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginger and Tom get better aquainted

Ginger and Tom had a couple of drinks together, enjoying each other’s company. Carrie met up with an old friend and left Susie and Mark alone. Mark decided that they should join Tom and Ginger and the four of them should head off to Tom’s place since it was just around the corner from the bar. 

It was such a nice night out that they decided to walk. Tom enjoyed the fresh night air but he saw that Ginger was shivering. He used this as a good reason to put his arm around her under the pretense of helping her stay warm. And warm up she did snuggled in next to Tom. Mark and Susie walked behind him and they could hear that Mark was already beyond warming Susie up as they walked while he kissed her all over her neck. 

“Okay you two” Tom said as they reach his apartment. “Chill it down a bit until we get inside would you as I don’t want to give my neighbors anything to talk about.”  
“If you insist Captain” Mark said grinning at Tom and immediately standing at attention.  
They all started laughing at Mark as they made their way into Tom’s apartment.

As they entered the living area Mark and Susie went right out through to the balcony where they proceeded to re-engage in their make-out session. Tom took Ginger into the kitchen to get them each a drink. As he opened the fridge door to pull out some wine, all of a sudden he could feel a pair of hands first massaging his bottom and then making their way around to the front of his trousers.

“Whoa, what is this?” he said, turning to face Ginger.   
“I have been waiting to grab that fine ass of yours all night Tom. You don’t mind do you?” she asked as she placed her hands on his chest and rubbed them up and down.  
It was then that Tom realized just how horny he really was. Mark was right, he needed to get laid. 

“Not at all my luv, but let’s take it to the bedroom where we have some privacy.” He took her by the arm and led her up the hall to his room. Inside was a beautiful 4 poster bed made of cherry wood. A large thick white duvet sat on top and matching cherry furniture filled the room. It was a very romantic room but yet it was masculine at the same time. 

Once the door was closed, he picked Ginger up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Tom laid her gently down on the bed, well as gently as he could having had 3 or 4 more Jamesons than he should have that night.

“One thing Luv before we go any farther” he started  
“Yes Tom”   
“I have to let you know that while I think you are a lovely girl, I am not looking to have a relationship. I have too much going on in my life to be a good boyfriend to anyone and so I won’t put myself in a position to disappoint anyone. What we can have is a nice evening full of extremely satisfying sex with no strings attached. Is that something you want to do? If not then I suggest we stop now darling” he said looking straight into her eyes.

Ginger thought for a moment before answering him. Tom was a catch no doubt about it. Not only was he a famous actor but he was completely gorgeous in every way. She wasn't about to let this opportunity pass her by.

“Yes Tom that is all I want as well” she lied. “I don’t need a man I my life, but a good shag every now in then keeps me happy and I believe you my dear can deliver just that, can’t you?’ she grinned at him.

“Oh yes luv that I can” he said as he covered her mouth with hungry kisses. 

The sex was very pleasant. Her breasts were soft and supple and he enjoyed rolling her nipples around with his tongue very much. Her skin was soft and felt good to his touch. Her thighs were muscular and gripped onto him in a very demanding way, letting him know what she wanted. Her moaning let him know he was hitting the right spots as she talked dirty to him turning him on even more. Her pussy was tight and wet, just how he liked it. She tasted lovely and she also knew just how to work her mouth around his throbbing cock so he ached with desire.

All this should have had him begging for more but when they were done, he felt surprisingly let down. Here was this beautiful woman, doing everything he liked, reacting to him in just the way he wanted, yet he felt like something was missing.   
Normally he felt a sense of calm and delight after he came but this time, he only felt empty.

Being the gentleman that he was, he tried to cover up this odd feeling of melancholy he was experiencing as he didn't want to disappoint Ginger. After all, it wasn't her fault he felt this way. She was as good as he could have hoped for. So he hid his disappointment and stroked her hair lovingly, placing kisses on her cheek and forehead as he normally would and cupping her buttocks in his hands as she lay curled up next to him. 

“Hmm” she purred, “That was wonderful Tom”  
“Yes luv it was very nice” he said in return.  
“I would be up for more if you wanted” she suggested  
“Sorry my dear but I am a bit knackered, would you be okay if we just rested now?”   
“Sure Tom that would be fine. I know you must have had a long day on the set. It feels good just to have your arm around me” she said.  
“Thanks luv” he replied as he lay there pretending to drift off to sleep. He was thankful that he didn't have to talk now as he wasn't sure how much more he could pretend that he enjoyed their evening as much as she did.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley Looks up and old friend

Returning to work after her trip to Toronto was quite a letdown for Marley. She loved travelling and staying in hotels. She always felt so relaxed when she didn't have to worry about cooking or laundry or any other of the meaningless tasks she had to do every day at home.

She found she was not only bored but she was now restless as well. She seemed to have so much energy and she wasn't content to sit around and do nothing. This surprised Marley as normally she would be very content to sit and read a book or watch a good movie on TV but this wasn't the case now. She felt like she would crawl out of her skin if she didn't do something.

Marley had several friends that she enjoyed spending time with; however, for whatever reason they never seem to get together much. It was like everyone was so busy that they never stopped to make plans. She decided that the best way to shake off this listlessness was to call a friend and see about getting together to do something. She decided her friend Deb would be a good person to start with. Deb was single like Marley; but unlike Marley who wasn't usually the club scene kind of girl, Deb certainly was! Deb liked nothing more than going to a bar or club, having a few drinks and dancing the night away. She wasn't self-conscious in the least and she always had a good time when she went out. Marley was normally much more of an introvert than Deb. While Marley liked to have a few drinks and dance, unless she had a large amount of drinks, she was self-conscious about letting loose in front of others. Marley always felt she needed to be more reversed than Deb did. Maybe it was time for her to start enjoying life like Deb!

Marley grabbed her cell phone and placed the call. “Hey Deb how are you?” she asked  
“Hey Marley…long time no chat. I’m great how are you?  
“Pretty good. Deb I have a craving to go out have a few drinks and do some dancing. I was wondering if you would be up for that?” she said  
“Always!” Deb replied “When and where did you want to go?”  
“How about tomorrow night and since you know the clubs better than I do, you pick a place.” Marley replied.  
“Sounds great. I am free tomorrow night and I know just the place. Do you know the Circe on West Main? Deb asked.  
“Oh my God yes I do but I haven't been there in years.”  
“Well get ready to remember as it’s now a great dance club and I think it will be perfect. How about I pick you up at 730?” Deb asked  
“Sounds great. I’ll see you tomorrow night”  
“I can’t wait!”

The next evening Marley was ready and waiting for Deb to arrive by 715, she really hated to make anyone late. She had spent an hour trying to decide what to wear and had settled on a nice pair of dark wash skinny jeans which she paired with short black heeled leather boots. To top it off she chose a passion pink silk long sleeved blouse that had a keyhole opening at the throat. She decided to leave her long brown hair down. She always felt more carefree when her hair was moving around her shoulders. It made her feel younger. 

Deb arrived right on time and they headed out to the club.  
“Marley I am so glad you called. We are going to have such a good time” Deb said  
“I am glad too. I haven't been out in a while but I have been so restless since I got back from Toronto. I needed a night out and I knew you would be the right person to call” she said.

“Well then, let go get our groove on” Deb said as they entered the club.

Inside the club the crowd was just right - busy enough for there to be lots of interesting people but not busy enough that there wasn't room to move. They found a small table next to the dance floor and ordered a couple of cranberry vodka drinks and then Deb said something to the waitress that Marley couldn't hear. When the server returned she had the 2 vodka drinks and 2 shooter glasses.

“Deb what did you do?” Marley asked  
“Well you wanted to have fun tonight didn't you? Can’t think of a better way to start the night then with a couple of Screaming Orgasms” she said pointing to the shooters.  
“You do have a way with words” Marley said as she lifted up one of the shooter glasses.  
“Here is to the first of many Screaming Orgasms of the night” Marley said clinking her shooter glass with Deb’s.  
“To Many!” Deb said as the two of them emptied their shot glasses.  
“Now let’s dance” She said as she led Marley to the dance floor.

It didn't take too long before the shooters and drinks started to kick in. The two of them swayed and shimmied to all the latest music and they gathered quite an audience. Marley hadn't been out dancing in so long and this was just what she needed. She felt energized by the dancing even though it tired her at the same time.

They had just sat back down at their table for a rest when the server brought over 2 more drinks.  
“Boy you are good” Deb said “We didn't even order them yet”  
“No you didn't” the server replied, “but those 2 men over there did and asked me to bring them to you” she pointed to a table just behind where Marley and Deb were sitting. 

“Oh they are cute” Deb said “I am going to wave them over” She started to raise her hand when Marley stopped her.  
“Deb, do you think that’s wise?” Marley asked “They could be ax murders or something”  
“You have got to lay off the horror movies, I am sure they are fine, well they are certainly fine looking that’s for sure. Look at the arms on that one and the dimples on the other”  
“True. Okay, go ahead” Marley gave in as she could use some male attention for a change.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley enjoys her night out and her new friend but...

Deb motioned to the two men to join them at their table.  She didn’t have to ask twice as the men moved quickly to join them.  As they were sitting down Deb started the conversation.  “Thank you so much for the drinks.  How did you know we would be thirsty?” she asked.  
   
The one with the dark brown hair and the dimples spoke first. “Well we saw you girls on the dance floor and figured you had worked up a thirst after all the dancing you had been doing”  
   
“Well you were right, we certainly did.” Marley said.  Then she held out her hand to them. “I’m Marley and this is Deb”  
   
The one with the blond hair and muscular arms reached out to take her hand and replied “Hi Marley, Hi Deb, I’m John and this is Peter.”  He put her hand down and extended his hand to Deb.  Peter reached out to shake Marley’s hand and then Deb’s.  
   
“Now that we have all the introductions out of the way, what bring you guys out here tonight?” Deb asked.  
   
“Just needed to blow off a little steam.  Too much work and no play lately” Peter answered.  
   
“I hear that” Deb replied.  “There should be less working and more dancing”  
“Agreed” John chimed in.  
“So if you agree then why havent we seen you out dancing yet?” Marley asked.  
“We were just waiting for the right partners” John said “But now that we seem to have found them, what about a dance, ladies?”  
   
“Thought you would never ask” Deb said. She grabbed Peter’s arm “Let’s go!”  
   
The four of them hit the dance floor at full speed.  The men were no slouches when it came to dancing and they took every advantage to get close to them.  Marley could clearly feel John’s intentions pushing between the cheeks of her jeans.  She had to admit how good it felt.   She reciprocated by grinding into his hips.  As she did, he leaned his head in and put his mouth close to her ear “Mmmm that ass of yours feels so good” he said.  
“I can tell” she replie\d as she turned around putting her arms around his neck and then shoving her tongue down his throat.   Marley was surprising herself as she was never this forward before but she suddenly had an insatiable desire to get this man alone.  
   
Enjoying the taste of her tongue, John picked her up and she put her legs around his waist.  
   
“How would you like to do some private dancing?” he asked “I have some great music at my house.”  
“How fast can we get there?” she asked.  
   
John grabbed her hand and headed back to their table long enough for Marley to get her coat.   She turned to Deb “You okay here?  I have an appt with an impressive hard-on” she giggled.  
   
“Go have fun,,, be safe though!” Deb cautioned.  
“I will” Marley replied as she headed out the door with John.  
   
John hailed a cab and they climbed into the back seat.  As soon as the cab took off, John had her mouth covered with his.  This time it was his tongue that was making its way into her mouth and his hand that was reaching behind her back to cup the cheeks of her ass.  She responded by lowering her hand down to the ever growing bulge in the front of his pants.  
   
“God you know just what to do don’t you?” he moaned as she continued to stroke him.  
“Just wait until we get to your place” she teased.  
   
Just when John thought he might explode in his pants, the cab stopped at his apartment.  
   
As they got out of the cab, he grabbed Marley’s hand and practically dragged her through his front door.  He led her past the kitchen, past the bathroom and at the end of the long hall was his bedroom.  Marley didn’t really have time to take in the view as John started peeling off her clothing.  After her shirt was off, his mouth was firmly attached to her breasts as his hands tore at her zipper.  As her clothes dropped, so did his mouth so when her panties were off his head was already between her thighs.  
   
“God you are so gorgeous” he said “and you taste divine too”  He had a hard time to finish his sentence as he tongue eagerly licked up her warm folds to her clit.  He was so enthusiastic that Marley could hardly hold herself upright and finally fell back onto the bed.  
   
“Down tiger” she said “Slow down so I can enjoy you too”  
“Nope sorry, you taste too good” He put his hand on her stomach to hold her down while he continued to tease and please her.  His tongue found its way inside of her causing her to cry out in ecstasy.  The thing was, it wasn’t his name she hollered… it was Tom’s!  
John stopped and looked up at her “Tom?” he asked  
Marley’s face instantly flushed red as she realized what she had done.  
“I’m sorry John, old acquaintance” she said trying to minimize the awkwardness of the incident.  
“I’ll forgive you this time; just don’t let it happen again okay?  It’s hard on a guy’s ego”  
   
“Here, let me make it up to you” Marley replied.  She pushed him back on the bed removing his pants and releasing his cock from his briefs.   He didn’t have nice sexy briefs like Tom had nor was he as well-endowed as Tom.  She attempted to give him her best performance by licking him like an all-day sucker.  She fondled his balls and sucked him back into her mouth, but something didn’t feel right. Rather than enjoying him like she normally would, she found herself just going through the motions.  
   
The spell had been broken as soon as she thought about Tom.  After a few minutes of John’s enjoyment, Marley broke away and whispered in his ear “I want you”.  This brought John immediately between her legs.  He eagerly opened a condom and rolled it on himself.  Not wasting any time, John entered her and began thrusting his way towards his orgasm. Not wanting to disappoint, Marley gave it her best attempt but for some reason she couldn’t find her release.  When John found his, she moaned and this time called out his name…John had no idea it was all an act and that she was far from satisfied.  
   
As he rolled off of her, she told him how great he was.  He put his arms around her, letting her know he wanted her to stay the night.  This was usually something she liked to hear from a guy but tonight all she wanted to do was to get out of there.  So she lied and make up an excuse as to why she needed to go home.    
   
She got up and dressed and John called her a cab.  He asked for her phone number but she was honest with him and said she was really only interested in this one night and hoped he didn’t mind. John told her he was fine with that and when the cab got there, he paid the cab driver and gave her a kiss goodbye.  
   
On her way home, Marley tried to figure out what had happened.  Getting in the mood and staying there had never been a problem for her before. What had that Tom done to her?  
 


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Live goes on for Tom as things in his life change

After the night Tom spent with Ginger he wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. He decided to maybe stop thinking about women for a while and just concentrate on his upcoming projects.

His few scenes for Avengers 2 had come to an end and now Tom had a little time between projects. He would be busy soon enough with promotional events as he was going to have 4 films out in 2015 and they would keep him busy. Besides ‘I Saw the Light’ and ‘Avengers’ he had finished up ‘Crimson Peak’ and ‘High Rise’. 2015 was going to a bit very big year for Tom and he was grateful for a little down time before awards season. 

There were things happening all around him. His friend Ben found out he was going to be a father. While he and Sophie hadn't planned on having a family just then, she found out she was pregnant and Ben was thrilled at the thought of being a father. Although it was a little bit quicker than expected, Ben knew he wanted Sophie and the child in his life and he so he proposed and she accepted. 

When Ben called Tom to tell him the news, Tom was ecstatic for Ben. He was so glad he found a partner who understood the business and was willing and able to be part of it. And a child! Tom adored children but he was very concerned about being a father. Seeing his parents separating and the kind of hole it left in his life when his own father wasn't there made Tom decide that he wasn't willing to do that to a child. He would just have to be content to being the best uncle he could and enjoy his sister’s children and now his friend’s children.

Before awards season there was the holidays and Tom loved the holidays. It was easier to get together with family and friends as most productions stopped for Christmas and of course there were all of the delicious puddings that the holidays would bring. He did love his puddings! He would have to exercise twice as much in order to stay in shape for the movies he was scheduled to make in the new year. 

Tom’s family always celebrated Christmas in pretty much the same way, while his Mum went off to church, it was Tom and his sisters’ jobs to prepare the table for the meal, put out the stockings on the mantle and put the presents under the tree. When they were old enough they added their own tradition – Egg Nog with lots of rum! By the time Diana got home, the fire was lit and the house was nice and cozy, the table was beautifully set, the tree full of presents and the kids all slightly toasted! Ah but she told them she didn't mind as they were such great kids that she always found them endearing.

Tom loved his mum and sisters very much; there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them. It wasn't just out of family loyalty that made him spend time with them; he truly enjoyed their company. 

Christmas morning came and Tom awoke bright and early. He loved Christmas morning, the peacefulness, the anticipation, the excitement, he loved it all. Christmas morning before anyone else was up was his most favorite thing of all. Tom headed into the kitchen and made himself some coffee. While Tom did love his tea, he found the coffee gave a kick start to his morning and then he would switch to his teas later on.

Tom chose to sit in the large lounge style chair in the living room. It was the type that could fit two people and was extended enough to allow Tom to fully stretch out his long legs. The plushness of the fabric on the chair made it Tom’s favorite place to curl up in, normally with his mug and a good book. Settling down in his chair, he pulled up the small blanket that covered about half of his body and sipped on his coffee. The cinnamon stick he had put in the coffee added a lovely festive smell to the air. 

Tom smiled to himself when he thought about what a good year it had been. Still riding high on the success of Loki, coupled with the amazing accolades he received for Coriolanus, made him grateful for all he had accomplished. Yes, his professional life had gone very well in 2014 and his relationships with his family and friends had never been better. He couldn't wait for “I Saw the Light” to premier so people could see his singing talents as well as he acting talents. 

Thinking about Louisiana his mind drifted off to thoughts of Marley. It had been several weeks since he thought about her so he had assumed she had left his subconscious; apparently she had not. As he looked at the sparkling lights on the tree and all the colors of the presents underneath, he could picture her sitting snuggled up next to him, sipping her coffee, her eyes dazzling from their reflection. He would have his arm around her pulling her in close to him and she would look up at him with those eyes and then lean in and plant the most delicious kiss on his mouth. He could not imagine a better Christmas morning than one spent with her. 

Whoa! Where did that thought come from? He barely knew Marley and yet his mind was thinking about the two of them together at Christmas as if they were an old married couple. Somehow he had built up this fantasy of the two of them living the perfect life, but Tom knew life wasn't perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship. 

Maybe she talked in her sleep or snored. He could imagine her making little kitten purring noises when she slept. Stop it Tom! He kept telling himself.

Maybe she was possessive and wouldn't want him to travel without her. Having her with him when he traveled would make it that much better as they would share everything. Waking up every morning with her next to him sounded really good. Stop!

Maybe she would want to keep her own career and they wouldn't get to see each other often. They were doing that now and it only made him want her more. Sex was always better when it was delayed gratification! Stop!

Maybe she wouldn't be a morning person like he was. She could sleep in while he went jogging and when he returned he would show her the best way to wake up by caressing her beautiful body until she cried out in ecstasy. Stop!

There wasn't a situation he could imagine where he would not want to be with her. But alas, she was the one who ran from him. She probably hadn't even thought about him since that day. She would likely have another man in her life by now. But... what if she didn't?


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas morning with the Hiddlestons

Tom didn't have a chance to ponder his thoughts of Marley any longer as there was a thud thud thud on the floor as the rest of the family came charging down the stairs. Emma, Sarah and her family and Diana all came down at the same time. Sarah’s son Jacob was the most excited, at 4 yrs. old Christmas was his everything!

“Uncle Tom!” Jacob squealed, “Its Christmas did Santa come?”  
“I believe he did Jacob, take a look under the tree” Tom answered.  
“Merry Christmas Brother” Emma said as she slid in next to Tom in his chair.  
“Merry Christmas Brat” Tom said poking her in the ribs.  
“Too old for that nickname Tom” Emma said giving him a scowl  
“Never too old” Tom said grinning up at her.

“Okay you two, enough squabbling” Diana said “You are both too old for that”  
“Yes, Jacob is supposed to be the only child in the room” Sarah chimed in.  
“Truce, Brat?’ Tom asked  
“Truce, Giant!” Emma replied

The Hiddlestons then set about unwrapping all their presents. They were down to the very last one which was for Tom. It was quite large and very squishy and when he picked it up, he noticed the tag said to Tom but nothing else. 

“Who is this from?” he asked  
Everyone looked around the room at everyone else trying to see who was going to respond. When no one did, Tom turned to Emma.  
“Okay what did you do?” he asked  
“It wasn't me, honest” she said. “I don’t have money enough to be wasting it on you” she grinned.  
“Mom?” he asked  
“Not me Thomas. You already got my gift”  
“Okay then it must be you guys” he said looking at Sarah.  
“Nope not us either” Sarah replied. “Maybe it is from one of your friends?”  
“Come to think about it, when Lindsay was here cleaning the other day, she did say someone dropped off a package that she put under the tree. This must be it” Diana said.  
“So open it already will you!” Emma whined.  
“Okay here goes” Tom said as he tore open the package. Inside was a beautiful blanket made of the softest plush that Tom had ever put his hands on. He could see it was white and red but he didn't realize what was on it until he opened it up and then he started to laugh. The blanket when stretched out, displayed the Canadian flag! Now he knew who it must be from. He started chuckling to himself.

“Okay spill it, what’s the joke? Who is it from?” Sarah asked  
“I bet I know” his mother said smiling  
“And I bet I know” Emma said  
“Do you guys want to let the rest of us in on it?” Sarah said getting slightly perturbed at being left out of the joke. 

Tom laid the blanket out on top of him admiring it for a moment before he responded.  
“When I was coming back from Louisiana I missed my flight and ended up having a layover in Toronto. Long story short, I got my luggage mixed up with a woman who was actually staying at the same hotel as me and we ended up sharing dinner once we returned each other’s belongings. Before I left the hotel, I sent her a bouquet of flowers as a thank you for keeping me company the night before. If I had to guess, this would be from her” he said as his smile filled his face and made his eyes sparkle. 

“Must have been some dinner” Sarah’s husband said winking at Tom.  
“Yes Tom, what kind of dinner was it, keeping in mind there are young ears in the room” Sarah added.  
“It was a nice dinner, sharing nice conversion, that’s all” he answered   
“And she sent you this?” Sarah said “Somehow I do not believe it Tom”  
Just as Tom was going to try to cover his tracks, a piece of paper fell out of the blanket. Both the girls tried to grab it, before Tom did, but he was more successful.  
“Read it to us Tom” Emma said   
“And why should I?” he asked. “It’s my personal gift.”  
“If it was that personal it wouldn't have been left at your mother’s house” she replied.  
“Come on Tom, you might as well give in” his mother said, “You know we will find out eventually.  
“Fine but I am reading it to myself first.”

Tom took a couple of minutes to read the note. It wasn't lengthy but as he was reading it, he was picturing Marley’s voice”  
“Here is something to keep you warm when the wind is howling at the door. It is nice and big to cover those long legs of yours and the flag is to remind you of me. Unlike the present you left me, it is something you can show others! Merry Christmas..Marley”

When Tom read it to the others, he left out the part about the gift he left for her since he hadn't told them about the underwear. The less they knew the less they would pry.

“So is this another crazy fan trying to get into your pants” Emma said  
“Emma, why would she want Uncle Tom’s pants, they would be too big for a girl!” Jacob said innocently, as the whole room burst out laughing.  
“You are right Jacob, why would any girl want my pants?” Tom said, laughing his head off as he did.  
“Still not sure why; but, I know a few thousand of them that would be interested” Emma chimed in.

“Isn't anyone else starving right now?” Tom asked, trying to change the conversation away from Marley and towards breakfast.  
“I am Uncle Tom. Can we have our special Christmas waffles, the ones with the caramel and whipped cream and syrup?”  
“Absolutely” Tom answered “What else would we have on Christmas? I’ll race you to the kitchen” and off they went with the rest of the family following them.

After they had stuffed themselves with waffles and bacon and orange juice and tea, they settled back into the comfy chairs in the living room where everyone except Jacob and Sarah took a nap. Tom fell asleep in his favorite chair, wrapped up in his new favorite maple leaf blanket with the largest smile possible spread across his face. Today was truly a great day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so glad to see that there are many of you following this story. I would love to hear your comments. Please take a second to let me know what you think. Thanks


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom makes a decision regarding Marley and calls on Luke to help out

Boxing Day came and Tom found he couldn't stop thinking of Marley. Obviously she had been thinking of him as well or she wouldn't have sent him the blanket. She reached out to him and he knew he needed to respond but he wasn't sure how. 

Tom was always someone who thought with his heart but was also logical enough to follow his head as well. In this case his heart said do whatever you need to do to find this woman so you can see her again, or even just talk with her. His head was still saying, why get back into this when you know you can’t commit? She lives in Canada, you live in London, she has a full-time career and you are constantly travelling for your work for months on end. If they got together what kind of a life would they have?

Then his heart would say…look at Benedict and Sophie. They are going headfirst into a marriage when his career is at its all-time high. Not only are they getting married but they are bringing a child into the picture. A child whose father will be constantly travelling, yet his love for this child means he would do anything to be with him or her. If Tom would be a father he would move heaven and earth for his child; but, he already decided that he didn't want to have a family if he couldn't be with them all the time.

Then Tom’s head did something that was logical but heartfelt at the same time. It asked him, what would be the problem with seeing Marley again? Just because they had fun once didn't mean they couldn't have a good time again without leading to an ill-fated relationship did it? What if he did see her again and maybe he would wonder what he saw in her in the first place. Then he would be able to forget about her and wouldn't be tormented by her any more. It’s like forbidding yourself to eat chocolate; if you know you can’t have it you want it all the more. Then when you finally get the chocolate you can't remember why you wanted it so much. Yes that was the answer, they would meet again, realize they just had one really good night, and move on… that is if she would be agreeable to see him again as she was the one who took off on him. That may also be why he felt he needed to see her so desperately, because she had shut him out.

Tom called up his assistant Luke as he knew he would be the one who could help him out. Even though he was off for vacation, Tom knew Luke would take his call.

“Hey Luke mate, Merry Christmas” Tom said when Luke answered the phone.  
“Merry Christmas Tom. How’s your Mum and sisters?” Luke asked  
“Great as always and stuffing me with good food” he said.  
“Great, I’ll have to push you back to the gym after holidays won’t I?” Luke chuckled.  
“Perhaps” Tom said. “Luke I have another reason for calling other than to wish you happy holidays”  
“Oh, what can I help you with Tom?” Luke asked  
“Remember when I got stuck on Toronto on my way home from Louisiana?”   
“Yes I do, why?”  
“Well I met a nice woman there when we got our luggage mixed up in the airport. We shared dinner that night after getting our luggage straightened out.”  
“Tom, why are you only telling me this now and what did you do?” Luke said anxiously  
“Don’t worry, I didn't do anything you need to fix, but the nice woman sent me a lovely Christmas gift and I want to be able to reach out and thank her properly. I need some help to find her and I know you can find anyone.”  
“I don’t know about anyone but thanks for the vote of confidence. So what can you give me to work on?” he asked  
“Well her first name is Marley and she lives in New Brunswick Canada” Tom replied  
“Got to give me more than that Tom, that’s like a needle in a haystack my friend” Luke countered  
“I did see her last name on her luggage tag; let me think for a minute” he said.  
“Hmm if memory serves I believe her last name was something royal sounding… was it King? No. Was it Queen?” No. Duke? No. It was something like that. Hmmm… oh I got it, it was Prince. That’s it Marley Prince!” he cheered as he was so excited that he remembered.  
“Okay so Marley Prince in New Brunswick Canada. You don’t know which city do you?” Luke asked  
“Sorry mate I don’t.”  
“Do you know where she works?” Luke asked  
“No, but I know she is a project manager of sorts for a large corporation who has offices in Toronto - that’s why she was there when I was” Tom replied. “I also know she sent a parcel to my Mum’s house that was couriered here but there was no return address.”  
“That should help then. Do you know what courier company it was?”   
“No I don’t. My Mum’s maid was the one who received the parcel and she isn't here” Tom said.  
“Okay well there aren't too many international companies who ship to your Mum’s address so I should be able to track it down. Give me a day or two and I will have the information.” Luke said  
“Thanks Luke. The sooner you can get it for me the better as I would like to contact her before New Years” Tom said.  
“Wow, okay, that’s tight but I’ll see what I can do”  
“I’ll owe you Luke” Tom said  
“I’ll just add it to the list” Luke said teasing and with that he hung up.  
Tom was confident Luke would come through for him as he always did. Once he got Marley’s information he wanted to give her a call to thank her for the blanket. Now that he knew this could happen, he found he was terribly excited with the prospect of talking to her again.   
Tom went back to join his family for more fun and more food, leaving the work to Luke. He wasn't about to tell them anything about his call to Luke as he knew they would not leave him alone if he did. This would be just between him and Luke.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley makes plans for her own Christmas

After Marley’s evening with John she decided maybe sex was not what she needed if it was going to make her miserable afterwards. She still didn’t quite understand why she reacted as she did but it was not something she really wanted to repeat. 

Work was taking up most of her time as things got busier closer to the holidays. Everyone wanted to get their projects finished before Christmas vacation. She was so lost in work that everything else left her mind…everything except Tom that is. As soon as her head hit the pillow every night her mind wandered off to a place where she and Tom were together. Sometimes it was here in Canada and sometimes it was in London or some foreign place where Tom was shooting. She couldn’t get him out of her head. 

The access she had to Tom’s life didn’t help her situation. The internet made it easy for her to keep up with him anywhere and anytime. Not to mention she could see his face anytime she wanted to and watch his movies anytime she wanted. It was horrible. She kept reminding herself she didn’t want a commitment; she didn’t want or need someone in her life fulltime. And yet she couldn’t seem to stay away. 

Marley thought back to the nice flowers Tom had left for her and the boxer briefs! She laughed at the mere thought of them. She kept them in her nightstand and pulled them out every once in a while as they always made her smile. She had to be careful though as when she looked at them, she remembered what Tom looked like wearing his and it made her feel ‘randy’ as he would say. She didn’t want to have sex with anyone else so she needed to stifle these feelings and the only way was to have a cold shower and think about something else!

Marley felt bad that she snuck out on Tom the way she did. She still felt it was the best thing to do, but she thought it might have hurt his feelings and she never wanted to do that. After some thought, she decided that she would send him a little gift to thank him for what he had sent her. She hoped it would make him realize she appreciated his thoughtfulness. She also worried that after this amount of time that he probably wouldn't even care that she sent him anything, but she was going to take the chance anyway. That way her conscience would feel better.

So then the hard task was thinking about what to get him. He was rich so he could buy himself anything he wanted. She wanted to pick out something personal that would remind her of him, like he did. After days of trying to figure something out, she thought about the conversation they had during supper. She remembered him talking about how difficult it was to find things to fit his long legs. She wasn't about to try to buy him pants (or trousers as he called them) but when she was out in the mall, she saw something that she felt was just perfect. He had told her that he often had problems finding blankets long enough to cover him fully as his feet always stuck out the end. Marley saw a plush blanket with the Canadian flag on it and it was huge. She checked the tag to see what size it was and it said it 7 feet long. Marley squealed when she read it as Tom was 6’2” so the blanket would be long enough. The fabric was so soft, she couldn't stop touching it. She knew this was the perfect gift as the flag would remind him of her. 

She immediately purchased the blanket and then tried to figure out how she could ship it to him. She decided to send it by courier but she had to figure out then where to send it.  
Tom had mentioned that he always spent Christmas at his mother’s house. Normally all his fan mail was sent to his agent’s. She figured if it went to his agent’s that it would never get to him in time for Christmas or at all. She thought again about their night together and she remembered Tom also saying that his mother kept her address and her mail under her middle name and her maiden name so that she only got mail that she wanted to get and not from fans who wanted to get to him. At the time she thought this was silly because she didn’t know just how big a celebrity he was. She just figured that British fans were a little more enthusiastic than Canadian ones were. Now she knew the difference and could certainly understand why his mother would do so.

So she went to the internet to look up his mother. She knew it would be easy to find her last name but she wasn't sure about her middle name. It was actually very easy as both her maiden name and her middle name were both there when she searched “Tom Hiddleston’s mother”. Patricia Servaes’ address was listed as well on another site so Marley took down the information and decided to try it as she really didn't have anything to lose.

Since she still felt she didn't want Tom to be part of her life she planned to send the gift without any return address. She did want to add a personal note to him to show her thanks though. She thought about just the right words and she smiled as she sealed it up for him. She made sure it wasn't too personal in case anyone else should happen to read it. She didn't want this present to end up being an embarrassment to him.

As the courier company picked it up, she almost got cold feet and changed her mind. What if he didn't want to hear from her? What if he had someone else in his life that would get jealous? Worse yet, what if he refused the package and it got sent back?  
She was finally able to push these thoughts from her mind and just let it go. Whatever was about to happen as least she knew she tried to thank him for his gift and now they would be even.

Marley’s Christmas traditions were simple. She usually spent the night at her parents’ house with her brother and his family. They would eat Chinese food and watch Christmas movies as the kids would beg to open one gift on Christmas Eve. While her brother would always pretend they weren't going to be allowed, he always gave in as one present Christmas Eve was the tradition that Marley and her brother had started when they were kids. 

Christmas morning came with lots of presents and lots of food. Marley loved watching her niece Mary and nephew Allan as they ripped through their gifts. They were definitely spoiled but they were good kids and Marley loved seeing the excitement on their faces when they saw what was inside the packages. 

As they finished up the gifts Marley was about to help her mother make breakfast when her sister in law Josie told her she would do it instead. She knew that Marley worked hard and that she was always the first one to volunteer to cook or clean so Josie said her Christmas present to Marley was to allow her to relax with her cup while she took her place. 

Marley didn't mind helping out but it was nice to just sit and relax for a change. She sat looking at the tree while she sipped her coffee and her mind turned to Tom. Since Christmas in the UK was 4 hrs earlier than Christmas at her house, she was certain Tom would have opened his gift from her by now. She could imagine the look of surprise on his face and then hopefully it would be followed by his beautiful grin and his ‘ehehehe’ laugh. She hoped he liked it. 

After breakfast her family played with the new board games the kids got for Christmas. The kids had their hot chocolate and the adults had their coffee with Baileys. They settled in for the day eating their festive dinner in the late afternoon and then drifting off into a turkey induced coma. Marley thought the day couldn't have been any better except for one nagging thought… Tom would have made it better; somehow she just knew he would.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley gets an after Christmas surprise

As Tom had expected, Luke was able to get Marley’s contact information the day after Boxing Day. He got not only her home address but her work and home phone number as well.  
“Luke you are amazing” Tom said when Luke called him with the information.  
“Yes I am but now I am also concerned. What are you planning to do Tom? I have a feeling despite you saying to the contrary that this will end up being work for me as I will have to do damage control for whatever you are planning.”   
“Don’t worry Luke, I am only going to call her and thank her for the Christmas gift she sent me. I want her to know I received it and I appreciated it. That’s all” Tom said trying to reassure Luke.  
“I’m still not convinced but I will stop interrogating you for now. I only ask that when you do something that will cause an internet commotion that you call and tell me about it before I have to read it online.” Luke conceded.  
“I promise,” Tom said “Scout’s honor!”   
“2 problems with that mate… I can’t see your fingers to see your oath and you were never a boy scout!” Luke said as they both chuckled. “I hope she is worth it Tom” he added.  
“She is Luke, she definitely is” Tom replied.  
Marley spent Boxing Day with her family but on the 27th she returned to her home. She loved her family but she enjoyed the peace and quiet of her apartment as well as the fact that no one bothered her about being single when she was alone. 

She arrived back at her place around 1pm after her mother had one last chance to fill her full of food. After putting away all the leftovers her mother sent with her, and putting her presents away where they belonged, she decided to curl up on her couch and read a new book she got for Christmas. Since watching Tom in Coriolanus she became interested in that era and in Shakespeare. The book she had gotten was Othello, one that she always had wanted to read. She liked Shakespeare’s stories she just found it difficult to get through some of the language. It had been a while since she tried one though so she thought she would give it a shot.

Although it was a slow start, Marley waged on and found that she had gotten quite involved in the story. She was lost in thought and firmly entrenched in the personal battles between the main characters when she was startled by the phone ringing. She was surprised because she had just left her family and no one from work would be calling her on her vacation. She reached for the phone and said hello without even looking at the call display.

“Hello Darling. Do you know who this is?” said the deeply sensuous voice with the British accent on the other end of the line.   
“Well there is only one person I know of who has such a sexy voice but I can’t imagine why he would be calling. Is that really you Benedict?” she asked with a big grin on her face as she knew this would get Tom going. Of course she knew his voice as it had haunted her dreams for some time. 

“Benedict? Really! I am so insulted. 1) Because how could you not recognize my voice and 2) Why would Benedict be calling you? Do you two have something going I am not aware of?” Tom asked

“Sorry Darling” she said mocking him slightly “I didn’t mean to hurt your ego but why should you be so concerned that I might have an affiliation with Ben?”

“Because Ben is such a ladies man and I don’t like to share with him, I would like to keep you all to myself”  
“Really now! What is there to keep? 1 night of sex between strangers? That’s hardly anything substantial even though it was extremely mind-blowing sex” she said.

“Okay can we start this call over? I feel like we have gotten away from the intent of my call” he said wanting to avoid where this conversation was heading.

“Sure. Hi Tom how are you?” she said.  
“Great Marley. It is lovely to hear you voice, how have you been?”  
“Great Tom. To what do I owe the honor of this call?”  
“Well first I have to say I was a little apprehensive to call you. I didn’t know if you would want to have any connection with me after the way you ended things in the hotel. But, I wanted to thank you for the lovely Christmas present you sent. It is not only beautiful and extremely cuddly, but it actually covers my whole body. You remembered our conversation?” he asked

“Of course Tom, I remember almost everything about that night, it was very memorable” she said and then wondered if she had said too much. She didn’t want him to know how much she had been thinking about him. She didn’t want to let him know what impact he had on her. 

“Well Luv it was the best present I have ever received and although I didn’t really need anything to remind me of you—because I also remember our evening very vividly—I will always think of you when I am curled up with it” Tom wondered then if he had said too much. 

“I’m glad you like it.” Marley replied. “I’m sorry if my leaving caused any hard feelings. I just felt our situation was like a Band-Aid- it would hurt more to slowly breakaway then it would to just rip it off and leave with no long goodbyes. “

“I understand why you did what you did which is why I was surprised, pleasantly so, to receive the gift from you.” Tom explained.

“Well as I said I felt I owed you a gift as you had left one for me and I never did reciprocate. If I am honest, I was also wondering what you were up to.” She said.

“Not much right now because of the holidays but after Christmas awards season will be in full swing and then things just get crazy. There are so many awards now and so many lunches and parties to attend. I enjoy them but by the end I am exhausted.”

“I can imagine you would be. Everyone thinks that being a celebrity is all glamour don’t they? While it’s not lifting heavy objects every day or flying an airplane, it is long hours and little sleep.” Marley said, understanding Tom’s situation.

“Yes that’s right. For someone not in the business you seem to have good knowledge of what it is like.” Tom applauded.

“I just know I see all the events you have to attend and I know that filming requires early mornings and late nights and so I can’t imagine how you would not be tired unless you have found the fountain of endless energy!” she laughed.

“No Marley, no fountain. I’m just a normal man. So what have you been up to?  
‘Normal man??? Who was he trying to kid’ she thought.  
“Same old stuff. Hard at work on some projects but I decided to take off time at Christmas as I felt I also needed the break. I don’t have to go back until Jan 5th” she replied.  
“Wow that’s great. Do you have any big New Years’ plans?” he asked  
“No not really. Quite often one of my friends has a house party that I attend but I’m not big into celebrating New Years’.”  
“Why is that?” he asked  
“New Years’ sometimes makes me sad. If you are at a party often everyone is coupled up. Being by yourself at one of these events either seems lonely, or people fuss over trying to pair you up with someone which can be very annoying. “  
“I understand that feeling. I choose to be single; as I am sure you do also, so why do people insist that it’s a bad thing and work so hard to try to change that for you?” Tom completely empathized with what Marley was referring to as it had happened to him so often before.

“Yep it’s so funny because all my married friends say I am so lucky to have the freedom of being single but at the same time they always want you to get married like them” Marley said.  
“Exactly. So I just thought of something” Tom replied as a spark of inspiration hit him.   
“Should I be scared?” Marley asked teasingly  
“I don’t think so. What if I call you at midnight on New Year’s Eve then you will have the excuse that you need to take my call and not get stuck with some drooling guy trying to snog you”   
“Hmm that might just work” she said and she pondered the idea. “But that will only solve the issue for me since you are 4 hours ahead of me…It will be 4am where you are”  
“I don’t mind, I am sure I will be up still” he said  
“Well that might be fun! But I want to be able to do the same for you so I will call you at 8pm my time which will be midnight in London and you can call me at 4am which will be midnight here” Marley added  
“Okay sounds like a plan. So where will you be at 8pm on New Year’s Eve?” he asked  
“I will still be at home as I don’t rush to these parties too early. I can call you from here”  
“Perfect. So I will talk to you in a couple of days then” he said matter-of-factly.  
“I guess you will” Marley replied. As she hung up the phone she realized she had a huge smile on her face and her heart was racing. She didn’t even realize that Tom affected her in that way but somehow he did.

As Tom put down the phone, he was smiling too. Now that he knew Marley wasn’t opposed to talking with him, he could put the next part of plan in place.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley kept her promise to Tom and called him at midnight to help him celebrate but she was the one who got the surprise.

New Year’s Eve arrived and Marley had decided she would go to a friend’s house for the midnight celebration. After speaking with Tom, she was in a better mood than she had been. Just knowing he wanted to talk to her still made her happy. While she didn’t need a man to make her happy, just hearing Tom’s voice lifted her spirits. He was such a whirlwind of positivity!

Marley had decided to treat herself that day. If she was going to have to go to the party by herself, she was at least going to look as good as she possibly could. Then perhaps instead of pitying her for being alone, the woman may be jealous of her for looking so good. If nothing else looking her best always boosted her self-esteem. So she had made an appointment at the local SPA to give herself the royal treatment. She started off with a sinful chocolate mud wrap. When she was done she not only smelt delicious but her skin was silky smooth. Next she got a facial so her skin would look refreshed and radiant and creamy like butter. Then to top it all off, she got a manicure and pedicure in the most luxurious sparkling maroon color. Her fingers and toes glistened in the light like a thousand mini sparkles. When she left the SPA she felt like a million dollars.

She then went to the hair salon to have them create a beautiful updo for her leaving just the slightest bit of a curl flowing down her cheeks. When they were finished she looked in the mirror and was very happy with what she saw. She didn’t know she could look this good but then her smile was the thing that pulled it all together. She couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear and the craziest part was she had no idea why she was so happy.

Later that evening she finished off the look with a simple little black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. It was cocktail length and had a tasteful slit on the side that revealed her toned and muscular thigh. She finished off the look with a pair of strappy silver sandals that matched her jewelry and whose heel accentuated her legs. Looking into the mirror she couldn’t believe the person she saw looking back at her. She always knew she was decent looking but would never have thought herself beautiful until now. The woman looking back at her was beautiful and it almost brought Marley to tears. It was too bad she didn’t have anyone to dress up for but she would at least make the men at the part turn their heads when she walked in and there was some comfort in that.

Marley had time to herself after she got ready and she couldn’t leave for the party until after 8pm. She had to keep her promise to Tom to call him at midnight his time so wish him a happy New Year. It was only 730 so she had a half hour to kill. As she sat sipping on a glass of her favorite rosé her thoughts turned to Tom as she tried to picture what he would look like all dressed up at his party. He always looked so good in pictures in his beautiful suits. How she would love to be able to see him all dressed up in person!  
Then she wondered how many gorgeous models would be at the party. He probably changed his mind about wanting her to call. Why wouldn’t a handsome bachelor like himself want to have tons of beautiful women to kiss at midnight?

After sitting deep in thought and her wine glass for 20 mins, it was finally time for her to call Tom. She picked up her phone and it slipped out of her hand. She didn’t realize until just then how nervous she was to call him. It was silly she knew as they had agreed to this together. He should be expecting her call so why should she be scared to make it?   
Grabbing a tighter hold on the phone this time, she hit the speed dial that would reach his number. The phone rang several times and then finally as she was about to hang up that silky smooth voice she loved to hear answered the phone.

“Hello Luv. You remembered to call!” Tom said enthusiastically  
“Don’t sound so surprised Tom of course I remembered. How could I ever forget you?” Marley asked

“Well someone as beautiful as you are I am sure would have had many other offers for tonight. I guess I am just lucky your evening hasn’t started yet.” Tom replied.

“Wouldn’t have mattered, I made an agreement with you and I always hold up my end of the deal” she said. “I hear car horns and other street noises in the background are you at an outside party?” 

“I just stepped outside on the balcony so the party noise wouldn’t be too loud” he said ‘But it is getting chilly. I’m going to sneak into a nearby room so I can be alone to talk”

“Better hurry” Marley said “before the countdown” She could hear it get quiet with only the sound of footsteps in the background”

“Okay luv, the countdown has started. 6,5,4,,..” Tom said and then Marley heard a knock on her door. She went to get it as she could hear Tom say “3,2…” and as she opened it she could hear “Happy New Year” and then she dropped the phone on the floor in shock!


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom's POV leading up to NY Eve

After his call to Marley Tom called Luke back to ask for another favor.  
“Luke my brother, you told me to call before I did anything so I am calling” Tom said.  
“Ok, glad to know you were paying attention but now I am worried. What is it you are about to do?” Luke asked warily.

“I want to fly to New Brunswick Canada to arrive on Dec 31st. I need to be in Moncton at a certain address by 8pm. Can you arrange that?” Tom asked

“I can probably arrange that but what’s in Moncton you need to see?  
“Do I need to spell it out for you man?” Tom asked “You were the one who got me the address. I’m going to surprise Marley for New Year’s.”

“Okay. Not what I would recommend since it is one of the busiest times of year to fly. I assume this is to be as inconspicuous as possible?” Luke asked

“Preferably yes. I don’t want to cause a major upheaval in Marley’s life; I just want to spend New Year’s with her.” Tom answered

“Well let me see what I can do” Luke said and hung up the phone. 30 mins later Luke had Tom booked on a flight leaving Heathrow on Dec 30th at 3pm. He would change planes in Toronto and be in Moncton at midnight Atlantic Time. 

“That’s perfect Luke. Then I can sleep in the next day to try to adjust to the 4 hour time difference and still have lots of time to get ready to see Marley at 8pm”

“I also have a hotel booked for you and a rental car as I am assuming you want to be able to get around the city once you get there.” Luke added.

“Sounds great Luke you think of everything. I will have to make sure my Armani tux is freshly laundered and pressed as I will need it” 

“Wow your good tux, you are really going all out for this woman”  
“Yes Luke, she is special and I want to treat her that way.”  
“Well enjoy but pleeeeaaase try to stay out of sight and out of trouble” Luke cautioned.  
“I know mate, I will try my best!” Tom replied and he hung up the phone.

The next 3 days Tom spent planning out how he was going to surprise Marley. What was he going to say and what was he prepared to do? She had been on his mind so often lately. He was extremely excited at the prospect of seeing her again. He only hoped she would be as excited to see him.

Then the fear set in. What if he showed up at her door and she didn’t want to see him. What if she was only being polite with him on the phone because he was so far away she didn’t have to worry about him? But what if she was excited to see him? What if she had missed him as much as he had missed her? His mind kept going back and forth so much it was almost making him dizzy. In the end Tom remembered one of his favorite sayings- “We all have two lives, the second begins when we realize we only have one!” This reminded him that life was too short and if he and Marley could have another few days together that were as spectacular and the first one then it would all be worth it and he needed to take a chance!

On Dec 30th, he had his bag all packed with his garment bag to hold his suit. He made all his last minute arrangements to ensure his house was looked after while he was gone and he made up some story for his family about where he was going to be as he didn’t want them to know he was going to see Marley. He had instructed Luke to keep things strictly between themselves as he knew what a fuss his mother and sisters would make if they knew where he was going.

While it was hard to hide a 6ft 2 inch frame, he put on one of his best disguises in an attempt to not be recognized. He didn’t want the press to get wind of this vacation as that would really open up all kinds of speculations he and Marley didn’t need. It would be hard enough for them to figure out their relationship without the paparazzi butting in. He drove himself to the airport and parked in long term parking like everyone else. His regular driver would come pick it up later in the day. 

Tom was always smart about staying hidden on an airplane. Before the flight, he would single out one of the hostesses and let them know who he was. He then also made a deal that if they could help him stay incognito that he would give them an autograph and take a picture with them to make it worth their while. It never failed to work because he was Tom Hiddleston and women would so anything for a chance to be his confidante.

His flight to Toronto went well and they landed on schedule. Luckily they didn’t have a long delay before heading to Moncton. Tom was getting tired as 9pm Toronto time was 2 am in London. He had to stay alert though to pull off this kind of secrecy, so he continued to drink his coffee, and eat chocolate. Any excuse to eat chocolate was good as he couldn’t get enough.

Soon enough the plane landed in Moncton. The first thing he noticed was how much snow they had here. They got snow in London but only a couple of cms at a time. Here it looked like sky had opened up and just dumped several feet of snow upon the city. Kind of reminded him a bit of Iceland.

As promised, Luke had a rental car waiting for him. While the woman at the counter looked like she might have recognized him, she didn’t say anything. She probably thought he just looked like Tom Hiddleston because why would Tom Hiddleston actually be in Moncton? It was midnight so she probably figured her eyes had been playing tricks on her.

Tom made it to the hotel where Luke had made arrangements for a speedy check in. The hotel room was in one of Tom’s assumed names and he had ID to match. It’s too bad he had to resort to this but it was the only way he could get some peace and quiet. Normally he wouldn’t mind being recognized as a few fans didn’t bother him. But he really wanted to make sure no one knew he was in Moncton as he didn’t want them to know about Marley.

Tom slept well into the afternoon as he had told the front desk he didn’t want to be disturbed. He set his alarm for just the time he knew he would need to put the day all together. Tom knew to pull off the ultimate surprise that his timing would have to be impeccable but then his timing usually was. He had left himself enough time for the usual breakfast, shower, shave, and all his other grooming needs. He left his suit at the front desk when he checked in and asked them to have it pressed and brought to his room at 5pm. When it arrived he checked to make sure it was to his liking as he wanted everything about tonight to be perfect.

At 745 pm Dec 31st, Tom was parked on the street outside of Marley’s building. His hands were a bit sweaty. He was never usually nervous but tonight he sure was. One more time he checked his bow tie to make sure it was straight. The coal black of the tux brought out the lightness of his skin and the hint of ginger in his hair. He had moisturized his hands so much that the steering wheel slid underneath them. His lips had so much lip balm on them that it had been hard for him to eat. 

Now it was almost time and all he could do was wait for her call. He hoped she hadn’t forgotten or worse decided not to call him. Those little threads of doubt started to creep back into his head but they didn’t stay long as at 750 his phone rang and Marley’s number appeared.

As she was talking to him, he made his way out of the car and walked up to her doorway. Thankfully the entryway to her apartment building was unlocked and he was able to slip in and stood just outside her door. When he began counting down until his midnight, he spoke quietly as he didn’t want her to hear him. When it was 3 seconds to midnight he knocked on the door and she opened it right in time to hear him say “Happy New Year” and then he heard and saw the phone drop to the floor as saw him standing there.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the shock wears off, Tom and Marley get honest with each other.

“Surprise” was the only word Tom could get out of his mouth as he was immediately struck by how beautiful Marley looked. Her hair, her dress, her pouty lips, she was everything a man could want and more lovely than he remembered.

Marley on the other hand was just in shock to find that the man she thought she was talking with thousands of miles away was instead standing 2 feet in front of her. After she got over being dumbfounded, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his chest. “Tom! Oh my God, Tom! Is that really you?” She stepped back then to take a look at him to ensure he was real.

“Yes luv, it’s me. Is it okay that I am here?” he asked tentatively.  
Now that Marley was beginning to get over her surprise she found her voice and began to move again. “It’s more than alright. I am so glad to see you” she said “Come on in”

Tom stepped into her apartment. Normally he would take the opportunity to check out his surroundings but what he found instead was that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. “Marley darling you look absolutely decadent! Not that you didn’t look lovely the last time I saw you, but you have taken beauty to completely higher level!” 

“Thank you Tom. You look very handsome yourself. Do you have plans in town for some big event is that why you are so dressed up?” she asked

“I am here for a big event. I am here to escort you to your party if you would like me too” he said as he looked at her with a longing that was practically begging her to say yes.

“Oh Tom you certainly didn’t need to come all this way for me, but I would love it if you came. I know my friends aren’t paparazzi or anything, but aren’t you concerned about being seen with me in public- or semi-public as is the case?” 

“I thought about that Marley but I am not worried. I have been photographed with other women before but it blows over rather quickly. It might be worse for you…are you sure you won’t mind?” Tom said as he worried more about her than himself.

“I’m okay with it. It’s just a group of my friends and its only Moncton. If word got out I think I could handle it.” She glanced up at him demurely when she added “I think it would be worth it”

“Then it is settled. Do we have a few minutes or do we have to leave right away?” he asked.

“We will take a few minutes” Marley said. “I want to have you to myself before I subject you to my friends” as she motioned for him to sit down on the couch beside her.

“I am sure your friends are as lovely as you are but I too would like to spend a few minutes alone with you. I have missed you Marley” he said as he took her chin in her hand and lifted her face up towards him. After a moment of starring into her deep brown eyes, he gently placed his lips on hers and tasted that succulent mouth he had dreamed about the last 4 months.

Marley responded in kind to Tom’s kiss as she savored the taste of his lips and inhaled the scent of his skin. Tom moved his hands to the back of her neck and drew her towards him as Marley reached out and put her arms around his back. She could feel the strength of his muscles through his shirt 

After a few minutes Tom broke the kiss and backed up so he could look at Marley again.   
“Marley I have missed you so. I know I should be all manly and not admit my true feelings but I have to be honest with you. I didn’t want to miss you but somehow you just kept haunting my dreams. When I wasn’t working, all I could think about was you” 

“Oh God Tom, I have missed you too! Me who has never let another man into my mind or allowed him to interfere with my life, here I was scanning the internet for a glimpse of what you were up to and emerging myself in your movies so I could feel closer to you. Every time I would tell myself that it was foolish and that I was going to stop doing it yet a mere couple of days later and I was doing it again” Marley confessed.

“We are pathetic aren’t we?” Tom asked “Here we are both feeling the same way about each other, but both of us fighting it. And for what reason?”

“It does sound sad when you put it that way but admit it; it seemed a little odd to begin with that 2 sane people could develop such a connection to each other during such a short amount of time. Do you not think we were just being sensible to think it was nothing more than a fleeting moment?” Marley reasoned.

“True I guess. Seems like we both have learned to ignore our hearts and think only with our heads. So what do we do now? Tom asked.

“I think first things first. We go attend this party, have a good time, celebrate New Year’s together as I would love to kiss you at midnight. Tomorrow we can try to figure out the rest. How does that sound?” Marley asked  
“Huh? Sorry I got lost thinking about kissing you at midnight!” Tom said cheekily. Marley just grinned at him. “I think that sounds like a plan luv! You look too stunning to hide out here. I want everyone to see me with you on my arm.” 

“Flattery will get you everywhere Mr. Hiddleston. Let’s go before I change my mind!”


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley and Tom let Deb others and in on their secret

This year the NY Eve party was at Deb’s house. She has started seeing Peter, the guy she and Marley had met on their wild night out, and so she wanted to have the party at her place. Marley decided not to tell her about Tom coming as she wanted to surprise them all. She knew Deb was a big Thor fan so she knew Tom being there would blow her away. Even though Marley never knew who Tom was when they first met, she was sure Deb would.

As Tom and Marley stood outside the door to Deb’s apartment they hesitated one last moment before going in. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Marley asked.  
“Positive darling. Can’t wait to meet your friends and spend the night with you” Tom replied.

“Ok well I will need one last kiss for courage then before we go in then” Marley said.  
“My pleasure” he answered as he pulled her close. With one hand behind her head he placed the most passionate kiss she had ever felt upon her lips. It was a kiss that hinted of things to come.

“Okay I may have gotten courage but I am not sure I can stand on my own two feet now” she grinned at him.  
“That’s what I like to hear” Tom replied and he reached up to ring the doorbell.

Not a moment later and Deb opened the door only to get the surprise of her life. From inside she had been able to tell it was Marley but she couldn’t see anyone with her and she wasn’t expecting there to be anyone. As she opened the door she started to welcome Marley. “Hey Marls… welcome to the par…..OH MY GOD! Oh My God! Tom Hiddleston, Marley you are with Tom fucking Hiddleston!” She hollered

“That’s not exactly the middle name my mother gave me, but you got the rest right” Tom teased.  
“Yes Deb, Tom is here with me now can we come in before we freeze and I can properly introduce you?” Markey asked.  
“Sorrrry. Yes please come in” Deb managed to choke out.

Once inside Deb took their coats and then waited for her explanation.  
“Deb, as you know this is Tom Hiddleston. Tom this is my overly enthusiastic friend Deb” Marley began.  
“Nice to meet you Deb, you have a nice home” Tom began.  
“Nice to meet you too Tom. Okay who is going to tell me how this happened?” Deb asked

“Tom missed a flight and got stuck in Toronto for an overnight the same night as I arrived in Toronto for work back in the fall. We ran into each other in the baggage area, or more accurately I dumped my purse contents all over the floor in front of him in the baggage area. Then when I almost lost my luggage back into the carousel Tom was a gentleman and retrieved it for me. Then when we got our bags mixed up, we found out coincidentally that we were staying in the same hotel. We met to straight things out and ended up having dinner together. That’s how we met and got to know each other.” Marley finished her story a little out of breath.

“Wow that’s some story Marls. Tom you flew all the way here for New Years?” Deb asked.  
“Yep, I wanted to surprise Marley and meet her friends at the same time” he said putting her arm around Marley’s waist to show they were more than friends.

“Well I am shocked but extremely happy to have you here Tom. Let me get you a drink and then come meet everyone else.” Deb showed them into the kitchen and took the bottle of wine from Tom so she could open it.

“I don’t know if Marley told you or not but in the Atlantic we always seem to end up in the kitchen before the night is over. It’s not a Maritime party if it isn’t a bit of a kitchen party also.” Deb explained as there were several people already in the kitchen that they moved around.

“We do tend to hang out in the kitchen also but we don’t normally have parties there” Tom replied. “We tend to hang out at pubs more. Come to think of it though, a good pub atmosphere is like a cozy kitchen so I can see why you would enjoy it.”

After pouring them each a glass of wine, Deb led them into the living room so she could introduce everyone to Tom. She started with Peter who clung like cellophane to Deb. Being around Tom made him a little insecure and wanted to firmly establish that Deb was with him. 

Like Deb all the other guests were shocked at the sight of Tom and wanted to know how he managed to be at their little party. Marley once again told the story of how they met and then the one on one starstruck series of interrogations began. 

Tom was charming as always and answered their questions with a smile. Throughout it all he kept Marley close to his side with his arm around her waist. Tom would look over at Marley every once in a while and stare into her eyes. She had such beautiful eyes and he didn’t want to look away for fear she wouldn’t be there the next time he looked. He would run his hand up and down her back in a gentle caress, and when he thought no one was looking; his hand ever so gently slipped down and cupped her cheek. 

Marley just stood there gleaming as the realization of what Tom being here meant. He had not only flown all the way from England to be with her, but he had done so as a romantic surprise. He had told her he couldn’t get her out of his mind! How was this possible?

When the excitement of Tom being there started to die down then Marley herself became involved in more conversations and it was Tom’s turn to be the listener. He loved watching her face when she spoke- the glint in her eyes, and the succulent look of her red lips. He got a moment to replay their earlier conversation in his head. All along she had been missing him too; it was not a one-sided infatuation. He was so glad he took the chance to come.

The evening passed quickly and the next thing they knew it was time for the midnight countdown. They were all in the living room counting together but Tom managed to maneuver Marley off to the side so they had a tiny bit of privacy. 

“10,9,8,7,6,5…” Tom and Marley stood facing each other blocking all others from their view.  
“4,3,2,1 Happy New Year” Tom pulled Marley close and pressed his lips firmly against hers, moving his tongue into her mouth so he could taste every bit of her. Marley eagerly allowed his tongue entrance as she rolled her tongue along his. They stood locked in an embrace for what seemed like hours but was really only seconds. They only broke the kiss when they heard all the hooting and cheering from the rest of the people in the room as they spied the two of them huddled together.

“Now that’s a kiss!” someone shouted.  
“Woohoo Tom” someone else cheered.

Marley’s face turned crimson as she realized they were being watched.  
“Hey you guys, I came all the way from England, it needed to be special” Tom said with a grin and they all broke out laughing, even Marley.

As they went back to their drinking Tom turned back to Marley. “Best New Year’s Eve kiss I ever had” he said.  
“I’ll second that. So you don’t regret coming?” she asked  
“If the trip ended right now and this was all the time I got to spend with you, it would still be worth it!” Tom said as he reached down and gave Marley another kiss.  
“I think 2015 will be a wonderful year!” Marley said as she snuggled in close to his side, a place she never wanted to leave.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom shows Marley how much he missed her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of steam in this one. Enjoy!

Tom and Marley left the party shortly after midnight as they were eager to be alone. They did stay long enough to put on the party hats and wave the noisemakers and take all kinds of goofy pictures with Marley’s friends. There was no way they were letting Tom getaway without some photos. Thankfully no one was tacky enough to ask him for his autograph so he smiled happily for the pictures. He even took some pics of Marley and himself as he wanted some for when he had to return home. 

It was Marley who decided it was time to leave as Tom would have stayed as long as she wanted. She liked her friends but she knew she had limited time with Tom and she could see her friends anytime. As soon as they were outside of Deb’s door, Tom pulled her in for another tight embrace and his lips sought out hers like he needed her to be able to breathe. When he kissed her so passionately it made her heart beat in double time.

“Let’s get home quickly” he said. “I need to be in some dark secluded spot with you now!” His voice was a low growl which reminded her a little of his Loki voice. It sent shivers up her spine when he talked like that.

Without saying a word she grabbed his hand and ran to the car with him in tow. Tom only had 1 glass of wine so that he could drive them home afterwards. They jumped into the car both of them smiling and laughing like kids. When they reached Marley’s apartment and headed for the door, Tom swooped her up in his arms, planted another kiss on her luscious lips and held her there while she tried to put the key into the lock. 

“You’ll have to put me down Tom if you would ever like to get inside” she said.  
“Alright but just until the door is unlocked and not a minute more” he replied as he relinquished his hold on her.

As soon as she had the door open he did sweep her up into his arms again, walked straight into her bedroom and tossed her onto the bed. 

“Tom” she squealed, “the door is still open!”  
“I’ll get the door darling, you get those coat and boots off” he said as threw off his coat and rushed to get the door. 

Tom was back on the bed beside her in what seemed like only seconds with his coat and shoes off. Marley had just enough time to remove her own. He reached out and leaned across her, kissing her lips and then her neck making his way up to her ear.

“Oh God Marley, why did you have to leave me that morning? We could have had so much more of this before I had to go” he said.

“I know Tom I was stupid. I couldn’t face having to say goodbye to you so I took the coward’s way out.”

“Let me remind you of what you missed then” he said as he resumed kissing her. As his mouth reached her ear again he sucked on her earlobe and then nibbled on it ever so gently. The shivers Marley had previously felt had returned as not only was her neck extremely sensitive but Tom’s mouth was masterful at what he was doing.

Marley could only moan in response to Tom as she raked her hands across his shoulders and down his back. When her mouth got close to his ear she whispered “Tom I want you so bad please don’t stop”

He broke away from her neck and looked into her eyes, “Don’t worry Marley, I am not going to stop until you are screaming my name so loudly that Deb will be able to hear you” then he grinned his salacious grin which instantly melted any resistance she may have ever had.

As Tom continued to look into her eyes, his fingers were tracing the neckline of her dress. His hand slid over her breast and teased the nipple with his touch. Even through the material she felt so good. She moaned again as he put his fingers inside the fabric and squeezed her nipple between his thumb and index finger. The more he rolled it between her fingers the more she squirmed.

Not content to just feel, Tom wanted to taste as well. He pulled the straps of her gown off and peeled it down to her waist, exposing her breasts. He then took the right one into his mouth and savored every inch of it, his tongue swirling around and across the rosy pink bud. Tom loved the feel of a beautiful breast in his mouth and Marley had some of the best. He would have devoured it if he could. 

Marley lay there feeling Tom caressing her. His touch really did light her insides on fire. She could feel the moisture starting to pool between her legs. “Tommm”was all the words she could get out.

Tom left her breasts and began kissing his way down her stomach. She laughed as he did.  
“Still ticklish I see” he said grinning up at her.  
He resumed his kisses as his hands slid her dress down her body and his hands traced her hips as he went. He loved her curves as they gave her such a voluptuous shape. God how he wanted to touch all of her. His hands couldn’t seem to ease his desire. She had turned him into a hot mess!

“Darling I can’t stop touching you. I need to know how every inch of you feels under my touch. The silkiness of your skin, the contours of your bones, the sharpness of your nipples and the fullness of your breasts” 

Marley was emitting almost purring type noise. His every word put that much more desire into her body. All she could do was lay there at the mercy of his magnificent touch.

Tom’s hands went from the outside of her hips to the inside of her thighs. His one hand moved her left leg over as his other hand moved the right one. He ran his hands up and down her inner thighs feeling the velvety touch of her creamy skin. After what seemed like many agonizing minutes to Marley, Tom moved his hand up to the peak of her heat.  
He cupped her mound in his hand, moving his fingers playfully across the little curls he found there. He loved the feel of a real woman and not a waxed Barbie doll. Then his finger found their way between her lips and stroked their way up to her clit. There he ever so lightly stroked his thumb over it causing Marley’s hips to thrust up into the air.  
It was all Marley could do to hold herself in place as the sensation of his fingers was causing her whole body to shake.

Tom then finished his journey of touching all of her by placing his fingers inside of her throbbing cunt. “Darling you feel so wet, so nice and wet for me. I need to have a taste” he said as he lowered his mouth between her legs. 

Marley could no longer utter coherent words. She knew in a moment she was going to have the most intense orgasm she ever had. “Ttttom…GOD, Ttttom. Can’ttt…hol….ba…ahhh!!!” she screamed as her body convulsed in passion. 

“Oh my darling that is the most amazing sound I have ever heard!” he said as he grinned from ear to ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Sabrina for the very nice comments and recommendations on her tea time site. More chapters to come this week!


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Marley turn to bring Tom to his knees

Tom was proud as a peacock that he could make Marley feel this way. It normally didn’t matter too much to him that a woman was this satisfied but with Marley it mattered. He loved seeing her come undone from his touch, from his lips. She was so beautiful when she let herself go. 

Marley felt lightheaded as she tried to regain a sense of her body and of Tom. She was once again amazed at the way her body responded to him. She wanted to ensure that she could make him feel as good as he made her feel.

“Mr. Hiddleston”, she began, “I believe I need a moment to gather myself. I seem to be a little frazzled” she said smiling as he looked down upon her.

“A good frazzled, I hope?” he asked.  
“Not sure good is near the right word, perhaps astronomically frazzled is a better description” she said.

“I’ll take that. I have to go to the toilet; don’t go anywhere while I am gone” he replied.  
“Couldn’t even if I wanted to” she answered.

As Tom went the bathroom, he could only think of the many other things he wanted to do with Marley when he finished. He didn’t know where this would lead so he needed to be sure that they spent their time together wisely.

As Marley regained her composure, she knew exactly what she wanted next. She needed to touch and taste his body as much as he had needed hers. When Tom came out of the washroom, he had removed the rest of his clothes and only had on his boxer briefs. Marley thought they hugged him like maple syrup hugged your fingers and she was sure that what was inside the briefs was just as sweet!

“Come here Thomas” she said, not that he needed to be invited.  
“Thomas is it?” he asked.  
“Yes as I mean to treat you like the proper man you are” she said as she licked her lips in anticipation.  
“Yes ma’am” he said as he jumped into bed beside her.

Marley began a full assault on his lips; they were so luscious she had to taste them. Once she had fully feasted on this mouth and his tongue, she made her way down his face, under his chin and down his neck to his amazing chest. The man was not built like a muscle bound freak but he did have some amazing pectoral muscles that her hands could not get enough of. 

Tom groaned as Marley’s hands caressed his chest. He loved having his chest rubbed as he loved the feel of a woman’s hand sliding over this body. With Marley the feeling intensified as he knew what else would be coming. 

After she finished nibbling on his chest and kissing his abdomen, Marley looked up at Tom with longing in her dark eyes. He smiled at her as she reached down to caress the large bulge in his briefs in front of her. While Marley was anxious to release him from his underwear, she also didn’t want to rush. She loved looking at him and stroking him over top of his briefs made him squirm so much.

“Are you only going to tease?” he asked.  
“Impatient are we?” she countered.  
“For you darling yes I am!” he said as he thrust his hips upwards beneath her hand.  
“Are you anxious for me to remove your underwear and take your large penis firmly in my hands” she said  
“Yes, yes I am”  
“And then do you think I am going to put my fingers in my wet mouth and lightly run them around your soft smooth scrotum and then perhaps put your lovely balls in my mouth one at a time?”  
Every word out of Marley’s mouth made his cock that much harder. “Oh God I hope so” he said.  
“And then do you think I am going to lick that delicious cock of yours up and down like an ice cream and then slide it all in my mouth like a scrumptious banana where I will suck it up and down until I make you release your own whipped cream for the top?”

Pre-cum was leaking out of Tom at a rapid pace and she hadn’t even taken his underwear off yet. “Yes, Marley yes! Please I am begging you to do just that! It you talk anymore I may cum right in my boxers!” he moaned.  
“Well we can’t have that now can we?” she said as to his relief she removed his underwear and did exactly what she promised him she would do.  
When Marley’s mouth encased him testicles Tom moaned out loudly, when her tongue licked his cock up and down, he hollered out to God and when she popped him into her mouth and sucked him so hard he thought he would faint from lack of blood to his brain, he screamed “FUCK MARLEY!” as loud as he could as he exploded in her mouth.

After she finished swallowing him, and licked her lips to make sure she got it all, she looked up at him and laughed.

“What’s so funny love?” he asked.  
“The fact that I was able to make the infamous Tom Hiddleston scream my name after you have asked so many others to scream yours” she giggled.  
“I guess it is a little funny” he said as she joined her laughter with his own ‘ehehehe’.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley's night lives up to both their expectations

Now that they were sufficiently warmed up, it was time to move on to what they both had been waiting for. As much as Marley and Tom could both do amazing things with their hands and their mouths, it was her warm wet pussy that his dick longed for and it was the intense thrusts from his huge cock that would make Marley see stars. 

As they lie together again, kissing each other all over and stroking each other again with their hands and teeth, they both ached to be joined together.

“Marley” Tom began, “I need to feel your warm wet cunt around me”  
“And I want your beautiful cock to fuck me until I can’t see” she replied.

With Marley on her back, Tom took his long length in his hand and stroked its wet smooth top along her wet opening. The anticipation sent chills up her spine. 

“Now Tom, now” she said and he thrust into her hard. She screamed with ecstasy as he hit her back walls. He then moved in and out more slowly so they could both feel the exquisite sensation of their bodies rubbing against each other.   
“Oh God Marley” he said “you feel so good”  
“You too honey” she said as she grabbed him by his hips and flipped him over and beneath her. “So good I need to feel you from up here” she said as she began to ride him.

“I love it when you are on top luv as I can catch those beautiful breasts in my mouth” he said and he grabbed one of her nipples between his teeth. Marley squealed at this surprise but loved every minute of it. 

They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity but was really only a few moments as they both concentrated on the feel of her moving up and down on top of him. Marley loved being on top as she felt so in control and Tom loved her being on top as he could better see the joy spreading across her face as the intensity of their love making built.   
As much as Marley loved looking down at him, she knew the sensation she desired most could only be achieved when he was pushing deep into her and grinding his pelvis against her clit. She lied down on top of him as best she could and whispered in his ear “Take me now Tom, I am all yours”

That was all the encouragement Tom needed. She grabbed her waist and twisted her over and beneath him. Laying low to her body he moved his pulsing erection in and out of her with great force ensuring his body was grinding into that special bundle of nerves that drove her wild. “Marley you drive me insane! I want…every… last… inch of you, I want to… ruin… you… for… all… other… men!” Tom shouted out, each word punctuated with a thrust of his hips and a resounding scream from Marley. 

“Tooooommmm!” she screamed finally as she reached the peak of her ecstasy. This was immediately followed by a final thrust and scream of his own as he lost himself inside of her. 

He dropped to her side; both of them panting as if they had just ran a marathon. They both had the look of utter exhaustion but the glow of utter euphoria.

“You have you know” Marley said as she finally regained her breath.  
“Have what?” Tom asked still gasping for his.  
“Ruined me for any other man. I can’t imagine anyone else being able to make me feel like that” she replied.

“Well that’s good darling because otherwise you would own me completely. I would have to surrender to your every desire and whim in order to get a fix of you. I would be living the life of a sex junkie if I couldn’t make you want me as much as I want you”

They looked at each other and laughed. Neither could believe that another person could have this hold over them. 

“Happy New Year Luv” Tom said as he reached over and kissed Marley.  
“Happy New Year Tom: she replied as she kissed him back.  
They would later on look back at this night and remember just how great 2015 started but for now all they could do was sleep as their bodies surrendered to their exhaustion.

Tom woke up a couple of times that night as he needed to ensure that Marley was still there by his side. The last time things had gone this well, she ran away from him and he couldn’t let that happen again. Although this time he did have an advantage because they were in her bed in her house, so if she did take off, she would have to come back sometime and this time Tom was prepared to wait. 

Marley on the other hand, slept like a baby, better than she had for a long time. She had no desire to leave Tom any earlier than she would have to. No matter how hard it might be to say good bye to him afterwards, she wanted ever second of him she could get. Every second she was with him was worth a million seconds without him and this time she had no idea how much time they would have. This time she let her hands wander all over his magnificent body so she would be able to detail it through her senses when he was no longer around. This time she would not be a fool.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The inevitable discussion takes place the day after

Tom was the first to awake the next morning, or really it was afternoon. He was so pleased to see Marley still sleeping peacefully next to him. As he lay there watching her, he thought about the events of the night before and how happy he had been to be with her. He felt as much at ease around her as he did when he was with his mates back in London. He had the same sense of contentment when he was with her, like nothing could ruin this day simply because he was with her. The only difference was his body literally ached for hers, for every dimple, every little line and crease in her skin, for every fold or bend or for every smooth spot on her body. He was drawn to all of her and he had yet to figure out how she could have such a hold on him.

When Marley awoke she saw him looking at her and she smiled. She didn’t know why but whenever she looked at Tom, her face broke out in an automatic smile. Tom was a brilliant spark in an otherwise gray life. Working hard, paying bills, spending time with family and supporting them as needed, that was Marley’s life. She had been successful in almost anything she had ever attempted but there was no excitement in her life. Or at least there wasn’t any excitement until she ran into Tom in the airport. It was almost like she fell into the rabbit hole from Alice in Wonderland when she met Tom. When they were together nothing was normal or ordinary, it was like she was visiting another world. That’s how she felt, like she was only a visitor in this situation as even though she was in her own home, she knew this was only temporary.

“Good afternoon my sweet dove, how are you feeling?” Tom asked   
“Good afternoon to you too, my white knight. I feel excellent. And you?” she asked in return.  
“I feel like a white knight today. You make me feel that way” Tom replied stealing a kiss from Marley’s lips before she could say anything else.

“You know we sound like a bad romance novel right?” she grinned  
“I prefer to think we sound like two of Shakespeare’s paramours” Tom replied.  
“Of course you would because that’s how your brain is wired” Marley continued  
“Is that a problem?’ he asked  
“Not at all. Your brain is one of the things I like about you” she said “That and your smoking hot body” she smirked  
“I see” he said, reaching out to tickle her. “And I love to hear you laugh”  
“Thomas, you aren’t playing fair!”  
“There you go calling me Thomas again. Why doeth thou calleth me that?”   
“Because I love the reaction I get from you when I do” she responded cheekily.  
“Fair enough darling but I will have to come up with something to call you to get your attention. It can’t be just anything so I will have to think about it”   
“You do that. In the meantime I am starving. How about we rustle up some food?  
“Lead on ma’ lady as I am famished.”

Marley hopped out of bed, threw on her fluffy red robe and headed for the door. On the way out she tossed another red robe over to Tom. “You might want to put this on” she said “as my curtains don’t cover everything and my neighbors are nosy. We wouldn’t want your gorgeous ass plastered all over tomorrow’s paper now would we?’

“Probably not the best idea” he replied as he pulled the cozy robe over his naked body. It fit Marley perfectly but made a very short robe for Tom. “Although I am not sure this one is going to do the trick though” he said as he turned around for her to see.

“Just don’t bend over with your butt to the window and we should be good” Marley replied. “You can bend over in front of me but not the window” she added.  
“Somehow I think if I bent over in front of you we might not get to breakfast” Tom replied.   
“You may be right. Now come tell me what you want to eat” she answered

After a delicious breakfast of eggs and toast, bacon and hashbrowns, Tom and Marley went into the living room to have their morning coffee. It still felt like morning even though it was 3pm by then. They snuggled up together on Marley’s couch, Marley fitting nicely between Tom’s arms and legs as he laid back into the corner against the pillows. 

“That was some delicious full English Breakfast luv” Tom commented.  
“Here we just call it a big breakfast but thank you” she replied.  
“Not that I want to spoil the mood” she went on, “But when do you need to return to London?”  
“I have the rest of today and I leave tomorrow afternoon. For some reason the flights for Heathrow only leave here in the afternoons.”  
“Yes and we don’t have many do we?” she laughed. “Not the big London airport you are used to is it?”  
“Not exactly but then there wasn’t a huge crowd of people to mob me either” he said.  
“It must be hard always having to hide if you want some peace” she sympathized.  
“It’s not really that bad, I love signing autographs for people and taking pictures. If somehow I could manage to pull a matrix parallel universe thing so that I would take time with fans and still not lose time I need for other things that would be perfect.”  
“That’s sweet of you but perhaps you have been living in the land of superheroes too long if you are thinking that might happen!”  
“Perhaps, but you have to admit it’s a pretty sweet universe now isn’t it?”  
“Anything that would allow me to have more time with you I am in for” she said snuggling even further into his chest.

“Okay now it’s my turn to potentially spoil the mood. Where do we go from here?” he twisted around so he was facing Marley, so he could see her when she answered him.  
“Well I think it’s clear that what we have is certainly more than a one night stand” she began.  
“Agreed”  
“I think as much as we care of each other and it feels so good together, my feelings/concerns over starting a serious relationship are still present. What about yours?” she asked  
“The same. I love spending time with you and I missed you when I was away but perhaps that was because you were like forbidden fruit that I never thought I could have again. Would we still feel the same if we got to see each other more often?” he asked

“I’m not sure, I have the same questions. I can’t think that this is all there is for us but I still don’t see a serious future with our lives being what they are, yours especially, and I would never want you to give that up just for us.” 

“Okay, how about this? What if continue on our lives but we maintain a ‘friends with benefits’ style relationship for a while and see how it works out?” Tom suggested

“Maybe, how would you see that working? How would that fit in with your lifestyle and fans?” Marley asked

“Well, I am not too concerned about my fans reactions but at the same time I don’t want people to put pressure on us for a relationship we aren’t ready for either. I do know I would love to have you accompany me to some of my work events. I would love to have you by my side, if you would like that?” he added timidly.

“I would love to be able to come with you Tom. Not all the time of course but I think it would be exciting to attend some of the events and I would be honored to be there with you” she smiled back enthusiastically.

“Well I could introduce you as a friend and we could keep everything platonic on the red carpet but then in private we could be more…and I would let my close friends know the difference. How does that sound?”

“Maybe we could make that work. We could talk on the phone, skype each other and visit whenever we can. Knowing I would get to see you several times a year seems like so much more than what we had before which was nothing” she said.

“Agreed. That should be enough to keep me sane and also allow us to see how we feel after a few more times together. Who knows maybe the novelty will wear off sooner than we think” he replied.

“And if it does then we have to promise to leave this semi-relationship the way we came into it, honestly and quickly with no regrets” Marley added.  
“SOLD! Tom cheered. “I believe we have a relationship. Now can we go back into the bedroom and explore this relationship a bit more” he said as he pinched Marley on the bum.  
“Race you there” she said as she jumped up and tore off into the bedroom squealing.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom eventually has to leave

Unfortunately the next 24 hrs went way too quickly for Tom and Marley. They spent almost every waking hour in bed, deliriously sharing each other’s bodies to the point where they felt sure they may have morphed into one person instead of 2. 

Tom’s bags were all packed and he was physically ready to leave for the airport hours before he needed to be. Emotionally he didn’t think he would ever be ready to leave Marley again. Now that he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her, he couldn’t bear to tear himself away even if he knew it wouldn’t be forever.

As they lay together one last time, Tom felt he needed to tell Marley exactly how he was feeling. He wanted to make sure she knew without a doubt before he travelled thousands of miles away from her.

“Marley luv” Tom began as he lie with his naked body wrapped around hers, “I hope you know how much I wish I could stay with you longer. I’d take you with me if you would come” he said.

As she ran her fingers up and down his side along his chest and hips she replied “I know Tom, I do wish I could go with you but we need to remember to take this slow. I don’t want us to fly high only to crash and burn. If we have any chance of a lasting relationship we need to take this calmly and rationally.”

“You do know that this thing between us is everything but calm and rational don’t you?” he asked.  
“I do. Oh God how I do” she said turning to face him. “All I want is to stay here wrapped up in you. If I never had to leave this bed I would be in heaven”   
“A happier place I cannot think of either” he said. “You do have to promise me something before I leave”  
“Of course, what is it?” Marley asked  
“You have to promise that you won’t back out of being my guest at the BAFTAs. I would be crushed to anticipate you being there and then you not showing up” Tom felt nervous saying it because he never let himself be this vulnerable before when it came to women.   
“Thomas” she said, grinning at the use of his formal name, “I promise with all my heart that I will come to London and accompany you to the BAFTAs” then she leaned in and sealed her promise with a kiss.  
“Then I shall be able to return home with a happy heart darling” he said.  
“Good” she replied. “Now for a more serious question”  
“What?” he said looking slightly concerned.  
“Do you think we will be able to fit in a quickie at the airport?”   
Tom broke out laughing. “God do I like how your mind works” he said, as he started tickling her into a fit of laughter.

When they pulled up to the Moncton airport a couple of hours later, Tom was once again reminded how small Marley’s city really was. There were only 4 departure gates and they were all in spitting distance of each other. Marley wanted to stay with Tom until he left. Since no one knew he was there, they would not likely draw a large crowd. They made their way up to the Air Canada desk for check-in.

The girl at the ticket booth smiled at the two of them when they approached but she was only half looking as she was finishing up the tickets from her last customer. She reached out and took Tom’s passport in her hand and looked down at it before she even looked at his face. Once she read his name, her face immediately jerked upwards as if she had been struck by lightning. 

“Oh my God, you really are Tom Hiddleston aren’t you?” she asked  
“Yes I am. Did you want me to sign something for you?” he asked  
“Um no, I mean yes, I mean, I do but let me take care of your business first” she said trying to remain professional. She went back to her computer to pull up Tom’s flight and it was then that she took a look at Marley standing beside him. “Are you someone famous too?” she asked  
“She is to me” Tom said but then Marley cut in and said “No I am just a friend” and she gave Tom the evil eye as if to say, don’t tip our hats as to what we really are.   
“Are you filming here Mr. Hiddleston?” she asked  
“Nope just in town for New Year’s visiting friends” he said.  
“God that’s some lucky person whomever they are” she replied with an instant blush on her face.  
“Well thank you Nancy” he said reading her name tag and as she was printing his ticket, he took one of the luggage tags and signed the back of it- To: Nancy Love Tom Hiddleston.  
“Okay Mr. Hiddleston you are all set to go. Have a nice flight and I hope you come back to visit us soon” she said eagerly.  
“It’s Tom and Thank you Nancy, I am sure I will and this is for you” he said as he passed her his autograph.  
“Thank you Tom so much… you don’t know how much this means to me” she said as Marley led Tom off to the security area.

“Do women always act flustered and blush when you are around?” Marley asked.  
“Not all the time but a lot of the time” he replied.  
“Doesn’t it make you feel awkward?”  
“It did at first but now it happens so often that I don’t even think about it. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed if you hadn’t been there”  
“There isn’t really anywhere to hide out here” she said “I’m afraid you may get confronted again”  
“That’s okay. What I really want is a couple of more minutes to snog with you in private. Is there any dark corners we can disappear in?” he asked looking around.  
“Come here” Marley answered and drug him by his hand to stand behind one of the souvenir stands. As tall as Tom was he still stuck up above the displays. Marley pulled his head down to meet hers so they would be out of sight. “Is this what you had in mind?”  
“Mmmm, hmmm” Tom answered as he began peppering her mouth with his kisses. He kissed her with all he was worth, and she felt it all the way to her toes. She had never known what women meant when they said the kiss was so good it made their toes curl but now she knew because she could feel her feet pulling back into her body as she pressed herself farther into his lips.

Marley ran her hands through Tom’s luscious curls one more time in an effort to memorize that silky feeling for after when he was gone. They would have stood there forever had they not been interrupted by someone looking to purchase a magazine. They pulled themselves out of the way laughing at their own foolishness just as an announcement was made to have all passengers for Tom’s flight head into security.

“Feb is just around the corner my dear, it won’t be long” he said hoping to make her feel better, or was that himself he was tried to cheer up?

“I know. Call me as soon as you get home so I know you made it safely?” she asked. It wasn’t because she was really worried it was just because she wanted to hear his voice again. 

“I will. Now you better go before we attract a crowd” he said, placing one last kiss on her cheek.  
As their hands separated for the last time, it was the emptiest feeling either of them had ever felt but they knew it would not last forever.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom gets home and calls up his friend Zachary Levi to catch up.

Tom returned home to his apartment in London. He loved his apartment as its design suited him and he had it filled with things he liked. It was comfortable in style and its atmosphere was cozy. It was polished and well put together just like Tom himself.

The one thing that was different this time than any other time he returned home was the empty feel of the apartment. Tom felt it instantly and he was amazed at how spending less than a week with Marley made him feel that way. So odd that she had never even been in his home, yet he missed her as if she were a regular guest there.

Tom decided that even as tired as he was, he wanted to see some of his friends. Tom knew his buddy Zachary was in town so he gave him a call to see what he was up to.  
“Zachary buddy its Tom, what’s up mate?”  
“Tom, my man, I thought you were out of town. I tried to call you on New Year’s but I got voicemail and no return call”  
“Sorry mate, I was out of town and I turned my phone off while I was away” Tom explained.  
“That’s not like you; you are usually stuck to that thing. What were you doing that was so important?”  
“Long story which I might tell you later if you are up for a couple of pints?” he asked  
“I am always up for a couple of pints. Where did you want to meet?”  
“How about the Holly Bush? They have a great cheese board to nibble on with our ales”  
“Sounds good Tom. Meet you there in say 30 mins?” Zachary asked  
“See you there mate” 

Tom unpacked his bags, freshened up and showed up at the pub to meet Zachary right on time. Tom was so punctual you could almost set your clock by him. As it turned out Zach was getting out of the cab at the exact same time Tom reached the door. 

“Perfect timing” Tom said  
“I have impeccable timing when pints are involved” Zach said  
“Yes, yes you do” Tom grinned  
They went inside and made their way upstairs to a smaller table back in the corner of the room. Tom loved the atmosphere of this pub as the leather seats; the fireplaces and the antique woodworking were as fine as they were 200 years ago when the pub was new. It was something that many places try to replicate but very few could pull off.

They ordered their pints- Zachary took the London Pride and Tom the Oliver’s Island- and a cheese plate and then Zachary wasted no time in trying to find out what Tom had been up to.

“So dude, tell me what was so important that you turned off your phone for 3 days?” Zachary asked  
“Is that all you can think about? I don’t think it’s that rare that I am out of phone reach” Tom said trying to make it seem less unusual than it was.

“Really, is this how you are going to play this? You, who sleep with your mobile, go off the grid for 3 days and you are trying to tell me it was nothing? Not buying it buddy” Zachary persisted

“Well yes it was something and I guess in a month’s time everyone will find out anyway”  
“Tom, you are scaring me, what’s going on? You didn’t get some fan pregnant did you?” Zachary said grinning at Tom.  
“Yes that’s it. How did you guess?” Tom answered trying to look serious to see if Zach would fall for it.  
Zachary started to say something else when Tom couldn’t hold back his grin anymore.  
“Argh, you had me going for a minute! I couldn’t imagine you, who is Mr. Boy Scout and always prepared, would have knocked up some chick”  
“Of course not, but you should have seen the look on your face” Tom said as he couldn’t stop laughing.

“Okay funny boy, enough distractions. Tell me what you were really up to?”  
“Well it does involve a woman” Tom began  
“I knew it! There had to be a woman” Zach said.  
“Yes but this one is special”  
“Tell me more” Zach urged.  
So Tom proceeded to tell Zach about meeting Marley 3 months ago on his way back from the US. He told him about how he had been missing her ever since and how he needed to see her again, especially after he got her gift. Tom then told him about calling Marley and deciding to surprise her on New Year’s Eve.

“So how did it go? Was she surprised? Was she excited to see you?”  
“Yes she was. I am not sure who was happier though her or me. Zach I can’t explain it but this woman is different and she somehow does things to me that no one else has done before.”  
“Sounds like you’ve got it bad bud. So what happened?”  
“So we went to her party and I met some of her friends and I got to kiss her at midnight. Best New Year’s kiss I ever had.”  
“Even better than Kat ‘cause that girl got some lips!”  
“Even better than Kat. When we got home, let’s just say we made up for lost time. The next day we talked about how we had missed each other and how we needed to do something as we had both been going insane being apart.”  
“So what did you decide?” Zach asked eager to see where this was going.  
“We decided we would try some friends with benefits dating.” Tom replied  
“Which means what exactly?”  
“This means, we made no commitments to each other, but we do want to pursue a relationship. We will see each other when our schedules permit and Marley has agreed to be my ‘plus 1’ at some of the awards this year starting with the BAFTAs next month. We aren’t going to come out as a couple, just as friends for now, as we want to test the waters before we commit to anything”

Zach sat there for a moment thinking how to respond to what he just heard. Then he replied “Tom man, I go with my earlier statement that you have it bad for this chick. Although I havent seen the two of you together yet, I doubt you will fool anyone with that ‘we are just friends’ thing because no one ever believes that even when it is true.  
I also think that I can’t wait to meet this woman as she sure has a hold on you dude”

“You are right, she does.” Tom admitted. “But I think it’s mutual. We are both scared that if we go all in and commit to a serious relationship that given our careers it would likely end up horribly. The problem was when we tried to leave it as just a one night stand, we failed. We needed something more”

“Well then bud, good luck and may Odin be with you” Zachary joked as he lifted his glass to salute Tom.  
“Thanks Mate, appreciate your support”

They continued nibbling on their cheese and downing a few more pints as Zachary filled Tom in on what had been happening with him. He talked about his upcoming mini-series ‘Heroes Reborn’ that was out later this year and how he wished Thor 3 was coming sooner. He really enjoyed being part of the Asgard team. 

When their last pint was finally empty they parted ways with Tom promising to contact Zach the next time Marley was around so he could meet her. Zach wanted to make sure he was on the ground floor of this new adventure.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom checks in with Marley as she prepares to head to London

Tom and Marley had skyped often since Tom had returned home. He didn’t want to appear too eager but at the same time it made his day that much better to talk to her. They just seem to connect on all levels.

Marley didn’t seem to mind as she was always cheerful when she talked to him. Even when her day sucked and she would tell him all the misfortune she had that day, she still did so with a smile on her face. Maybe his ‘Tom charm’ was rubbing off on her.

The weeks passed quickly and soon it was the day before Marley was to travel to London for the BAFTAs. Tom gave her a call to make sure everything was still a go and that there were no issues.

“Hey Marls, how are you darling?” he asked.  
“Excited, nervous, anxious, scared!” she replied  
“Why are you scared? Soon we will be together again and I will be able to smother you with kisses from head to toe and everywhere in between”  
“Well since you put it that way…” she started. “Tom stop that. I can’t think when you put those images in my brain”  
“But aren’t they such delicious images?” he asked. “I like to think of them every night before I go to sleep”  
“Is that what you think of to wank off?”  
“Oops my secret is out. I never learn to keep my mouth shut!” he laughed  
“That’s okay. I have to admit I think of you at night too when I want to think of something pleasurable” she confessed.  
“Now the truth comes out. Women get all upset with us men and call us perverts when you ladies are just as horny”  
“I never was before I met you. You have given me eternal horniness”  
“Hey maybe that’s another of Loki’s powers—the ability to make women horny. Now there’s a power all men would wish they had! Must be the head gear”  
“I am sure it is as I can bet there are many women who fantasize about Loki every day. I prefer the actor to the character though.”  
“I’m glad my luv because that suit is horribly heavy and warm. I wouldn’t be able to perform my best with that on”

“Okay enough of this talk as it’s getting hot in here” Marley said.  
“So are you all packed and ready to fly out tomorrow?” he asked.  
“Physically ready, yes. Emotionally I am not so sure”  
“Why? What are you worried about?” Tom asked  
“Oh just the fact of being in front of thousands of screaming fans, most of who will want to lynch me after they see us together. And let’s not forget that I have to get down the red carpet without tripping as people around the world will be able to see that on Tumblr!”  
“Don’t worry Marley. I will be right there holding your arm making sure you don’t fall. And as for the fans, they will be in awe of your beauty and it will be the men who will be jealous of me.”  
“Sorry Tom, even your comfort and reassurance won’t be enough to keep me from worrying but I will try and have a good time. I really will be proud to be with you and I will love to meet your friends”  
“That’s the spirit.”  
“So are you going to tell me anything about this amazing dress you have picked out for me?” she asked.  
“Well I can tell you it is incredibly sexy”  
“Tom, it better not be too revealing. You know that is not my style and I don’t want my first time on the red carpet to be memorable because people will be talking about my boobs hanging out!”  
“Of course not my luv. I would be extremely happy to see you in that kind of dress but only if we were in private. I have no desire to share your ‘boobs’ with anyone else!” Tom replied.  
“Well that’s good. So can I at least know what color it is as I will need shoes?”  
“The color is coral to bring out the warmth of your hair. But you don’t need to worry about shoes as we have them as well”  
“Mmmm, coral does sound nice. Shoes too? Really?”  
“I told you luv my stylist has everything taken care of”  
“Okay. The controlling side of me is freaking out right now, but the lazy part of me is glad I don’t have to do all that work”  
“See there is a bright side to everything. Sorry, darling I have to head off to bed as I need to be good and rested for when you get here tomorrow. I feel like I might need some extra energy” Tom laughed again.  
“Play your cards right Hiddleston and you just might” Marley replied.  
That night, as she got into bed, she had visions of Tom doing all sorts of naughty things to her and even though she was still worried, she fell asleep with a huge smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I know this chapter is short but I wanted to give you all a little something to tie you over. Next few chapters will be more. Please leave me comments and let me know how you are liking the story so far.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley arrives in London to a warm welcome from Tom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little longer than some but perhaps it will make up for the slowness in getting this one out to you.

The plane touched down at Heathrow at 10am London time 2 days later. Marley should have been tired as her flight left Moncton at 10pm the night before. This meant she had to fly all night and lose 4 hours, due to the time change, by the time she got there. She couldn’t be tired though as she was too wired up with excitement to let the tiredness set in. 

Tom had wanted to pick her up at the airport himself but with all the people coming into London for the BAFTAs the airport was surrounded with paparazzi. Although he wouldn’t mind if they has been photographed together, it would be a very maddening experience for their first time and he didn’t want to subject Marley to that yet. He didn’t want to scare her away. Instead he had arranged for a car pick her up out front of the arrivals gate. As Marley exited the building she saw a woman holding a sign which had her name on it in large letters. 

Driving to Tom’s house Marley’s mind kept racing back and forth between being eager to see Tom again and being concerned over how the event would go. Luckily the traffic was agreeable and the drive didn’t take too long. Before she knew it the car had pulled up outside of a two story townhouse. The house looked as English as Marley had expected with a brick façade and lovely ivy growing along one of the windows. There was a green hedge growing along the front of the property, which afforded it a little privacy, and a lovely pink wild rose bush by the front step. The driver got her luggage out of the trunk and followed Marley up to the door.

Marley hesitated a moment before taking the knocker in her hand. She took one deep breath and was about to knock when the door opened and she fell in.  
“Oomph!” she said as she stumbled forward and fell right on top of Tom who had opened the door from the inside. Tom them proceeded to fall backwards and landed on the hallway floor with Marley on top of him.  
“Well now, anxious to see me were you?” Tom joked  
“I guess I was” Marley laughed. She was trying to make a joke of it but she was embarrassed that the driver got to see how clumsy she was. “I didn’t expect you to open the door so soon”  
“Sorry luv, I thought I would save you the trouble of knocking.” And then he whispered in her ear “having you laying here on top of me is a lovely bonus”

Marley was blushing from ear to ear as she stood back up. She turned to take her luggage from the driver but before she could get her purse open, Tom reached out and paid her. The woman thanked Tom for the generous tip and then left quickly leaving Tom and Marley alone.

“I could have paid the driver myself” Marley said, “Just because you are a celebrity doesn’t mean I need you to pay for me”  
“I know it doesn’t but it was me who wanted you to come and since I am more than able to, I would like to cover your expenses”   
“That’s very gentlemanly of you but you aren’t paying for everything or I will feel like a kept woman. That’s not my style” she said.  
“I know it isn’t my dear. Okay I will agree to let you pay for some things if that will stop this discussion so I can properly welcome you to my home” he said swinging Marley into a hug following by the type of sensual kiss that only Tom could deliver.

“I’ve missed you Marley”   
“I missed you too Tom”   
He pulled her closer to him as he continued to kiss her pouty lips. Her hands found their way into his curly locks and their tongues found their way into each other’s mouths. They continued to take pleasure from each other until finally Tom broke the kiss to come up for air.  
“God darling I almost forgot how much I love your mouth” he said.  
“Really? I thought it was one of things you liked best about me?” she teased with a wink in her eye.  
“Oh yes, it is. I meant how much I enjoy kissing you. It’s almost as erotic snogging with you as it is when your mouth reaches other parts of my body.”   
“I agree. ‘Snogging’ with you is so good I don’t necessarily need anything else. But wanting and needing are two different things” she replied as she unconsciously swirled her tongue along her lips.  
“Okay my luv. You better stop licking those lips or I am going to tear all your clothes off right here and take you on this cold floor!”  
“Is that supposed to be a threat?” she grinned  
“No but I can think of more comfortable places to have you”  
“Well then ‘my luv’ less talk and more action please. I didn’t come all this way just for some snogging!”  
“Be careful what you say. With that he scooped her up in his arms and walked upstairs and into his bedroom. Marley started squealing with delight and Tom started laughing his evil Loki laugh as he tossed her on the bed and proceded to tear off her clothes.

It didn’t matter that this wasn’t there first time together; Tom was still delighted by the sight of Marley’s creamy smooth skin, especially her luscious breasts. His eyes glazed over with pure lust as he removed her shirt and bra and then grabbed her by the hips to remove her jeans and underwear in one motion. It was probably the one time in his life that he was actually speechless as there were no words to describe how beautiful he thought she was. So instead of using his mouth for words, he decided to put it to better use by kissing her neck and chest and then devouring those breasts that he loved. 

Marley thought Tom was so sexy in his button up navy shirt and deliciously tight jeans but then she couldn’t imagine a time when he wouldn’t look sexy. The way he possessed her body with his hands and mouth made her want to cry out as she couldn’t contain the enormity of the sensations assaulting her body. 

“Thomas, you are killing me!” she finally managed to get out.  
“Then it should be the sweetest death ever my luv as I am not going to stop until you crumble in my arms” he replied  
She knew he was serious and had plans for what he wanted to do to her and she wasn’t about to try to stop him. She surrendered herself to his wishes trying to relax as he took her on this ride, making sure she was breathing.

Tom felt like he was a man possessed. He had been away from Marley for only a month but it seemed like an eternity. He didn’t care about her reciprocating her touches on his body as he was so turned on from feasting on her. He turned his attentions to her stomach and then her legs, raking his hands up and down them but not quite reaching the spot she so desired. He placed kisses on her pelvis, swirling his tongue around the lovely little patch of hair surrounding her delicious center. 

Marley’s hips kept leaping off the bed in response as his touch was like a thousand watt current driving through her. The moaning coming from her lips made it sound like she was being tortured and in deed she was. If she had been a spy she would have confessed all her secrets to him at that moment. There is nothing she would deny him if he had asked.

Suddenly Tom stopped and stood up. Marley started to complain but then she realized he was still fully clothed and he needed to do something about it. He wasted no time in removing his trousers and she could see he didn’t have anything on underneath. He saw the questioning look in her eyes. “I didn’t want pants getting in our way” he said as he stepped out of the jeans and then pulled his shirt over his head without bothering to undo the buttons. She only got a moment to take in all his glorious muscles in his chest, abs and legs, not to mention his rock hard erection, when he started to turn her over on all fours.

This time she resisted. “I want to look in your eyes as you enter me, when you possess me fully. I want to see that look of desire and passion on your face when you come undone inside of me” she said.

Tom couldn’t argue with that and moved her back up on the bed. He lowered himself over top of her placing scorching kisses on her lips. “Marley I crave you so wickedly!” he said.  
“Take me Tom, please take me!” she replied.

He parted her legs with his hands and slid in between them. She could feel his throbbing cock pushing at her entrance. She didn’t wait for him; instead she reached down and pushed his ass so he was firmly inside of her. “Oh God,” she said. “You feel so good inside of me”

Taking this as a sign to continue, Tom started moving in and out of Marley in slow deliberate movements. He wanted to feel every inch of her as they moved together. A woman’s cunt had never felt so warm and inviting as Marley’s did. He grabbed her hips to try to keep them firmly together as he continued his thrusts.

The sensations were so amazing that he couldn’t keep it slow any longer. He needed to fuck her like he had never fucked her before, hard and fast. She was looking at him with those eyes that drew him into her and he wanted to get inside of her and make her his.

Marley felt Tom’s movement change. The animal in him took over again and he looked at her like she was his prey. She loved when he looked at her this way as she wanted him to possess her. At this moment she wanted to be owned by him, she wanted to be fucked!  
She once again pushed on his ass to let him know she wanted him hard and he obliged. He pulled almost out and slammed into her over and over again. 

“Ahh, Ahh, Ahhhhh” she screamed at the top of her lungs. Tom’s grunting grew louder and louder as continued to pound into her until she finally screamed “TOMMMM” as she squeezed him with the walls deep inside her core. He continued to thrust several more times, riding out her orgasm until he reached his own. She could feel him pulsing within her as he hollered out “JESUSSSS!” and collapsed on top of her. He only stayed there a moment as he knew he would be crushing her and he had no strength left to support his own body. He rolled off beside her on the bed as both of them struggled to breathe.

“Are you alive?” she asked finally  
“Barely. You?” he answered  
“I think so but I’m not sure. I seem to be able to focus now though”  
“Marley luv I think we need to do this more often otherwise I may kill us if we don’t”  
“Okay but you need to give me a break right now as I don’t think I have any bones left in my body right now… I feel a little like mush” she grinned.  
“Well if you are mush, you are the most gorgeous pile of mush I have ever seen” as he managed to lean over and kiss her.


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley discuss how to spend their day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has taken so long to get out this chapter but I have been working towards trying to get one of my other stories ready to publish. There will be more coming after this.

“So Luv, how have you been?” Tom asked chuckling. It was a little like putting the fence up after the horse was already out of the yard since he had already investigated every inch of Marley before he asked.

“Much better now thanks” she said smiling at him. “I‘m liking London a lot so far”  
“Good, I thought you deserved a treat after such a long flight” he said grinning.  
“That certainly was some treat. I hope you enjoyed it too” she replied.  
“Definitely luv, definitely”

“So tomorrow is the awards but what did you want to do today?” he asked  
“More of this?” she replied slightly timid.  
“I would be more than happy to oblige. I was hoping you might feel that way. Just resting, hanging out here and doing whatever it is that strikes our fancy?”  
“Mmm, that sounds wonderful to my tried ears”

After a rest, and more heated sexcapades, Tom and Marley talked about what the next day would be like once they were out in the public. 

“So my dear are you ready for the red carpet?”  
“Are you?” she asked. “It’s your career it’s going to impact”  
“My career will be fine luv… it will mean more publicity for me and my agent will be thanking you! It’s your career this will impact most and your entire life will be changed as you will no longer have your privacy. While you won’t be the target of every news camera, you will be sought after as people have this incredible need to know everything about me all the time. And the worst part is we can’t even go fully public. If we outted our relationship as a couple instead of friends there would be a paparazzi feeding frenzy”

“I am glad we aren’t going full disclosure as you and I are still so new that I don’t want to put any pressure on our relationship. We work now because there are no expectations, only a whole lot of fun” Marley replied

“That’s true, for now. I don’t want to scare you Marley but I think I could get very used to you waking up in my bed every morning.”  
“Be careful what you wish for Hiddleston as objects in this bed maybe be scarier than they appear” she said laughing and poking him in the ribs.  
“Chance I’m willing to take!” he said, pinning her to the bed and kissing every inch of her neck.

Coming up for air Marley continued their conversation, “I will be proud to be out on your arm but I am worried about maintaining the appearance of friends. If I can’t even get in the door before we start shedding our clothes, how can we act innocent in public?” she asked.

“It will be hard I will admit. Perhaps we should practice. Maybe we should go out to dinner tonight after all?”

“That might be a good idea” she replied.  
“Okay. How about I call Ben to see if he and Sophie can join us?”  
“I guess so although I have to say I am nervous about meeting your friends.”  
“Why would you be nervous?” Tom asked  
“I’m not the socialite type. What if they don’t think I am good enough for you?’  
“Darling if they don’t think you are good enough for me then they clearly are not good enough for you.”   
Marley thought at that moment that Tom was the most near perfect man she had ever met, or at least he sure knew how to say the right things.

Tom made a call to Ben and it just so happened they were free that evening. They chose someplace out of the way as there was so much heat on Ben and Sophie these days that it would be hard to not be too overwhelmed. As Tom and Marley pulled up to the restaurant, they could see Ben’s car already parked outside. Word must not have gotten out that they were inside as there were no people gathered outside the restaurant.

Taking Marley’s hand as she got out of the door, he gave it a squeeze to give her courage for what lay ahead. He wanted so very much to kiss her luscious coral-tinted lips but he couldn’t in case anyone was to see. Instead he leaned in as if he was helping her with her coat collar and whispered into her ear “Don’t be scared, I am right here and we will have a wonderful evening”

Marley turned to look back at him and she couldn’t help but smile. He always knew the right thing to say. She was so lucky to have him in her life. “I can’t wait to meet them” she replied. That was a little white lie because she was so scared they wouldn’t like her, but she liked Tom enough to risk the rejection.   
Tom opened the door of the restaurant and ushered Marley inside. The hostess immediately recognized Tom and told them their party was already expecting them.  
Marley was glad they had chosen somewhere casual as she hadn’t had to worry about how she was dressed. She could see in the distance Benedict and Sophie were sitting at their table and another woman was talking to them. The woman had her back to Marley and Tom so she couldn’t see what she looked like. She could however see Ben’s face as they got closer and he looked like he was in a panic. He looked past the woman to meet Tom’s gaze as if he was trying to convey a message. 

Tom didn’t need to see her face to know who the woman was. He grabbed Marley’s arm and quickly lead her away from the table and towards the bar.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Sophie have a surprise

“What are you doing Tom?” Marley questioned with an alarmed pitch to her voice.  
“I need to get a bottle of wine from the bar before we get to the table” he said trying to act inconspicuous. He successfully maneuvered Marley away from Ben and the woman he was talking to and when he got to the bar he ordered a bottle of wine as he said he would. 

“Sorry luv” he said “I just remembered that if I didn’t order this here we would never get it” All the while he was talking to Marley; he made sure her back was to their table and he kept watching to see when the woman would leave. Thankfully she didn’t stay long and she headed out of the restaurant without seeing them.

Tom was acting very strange Marley thought but maybe he was just nervous so she decided not to think anything more of it. After Tom paid for the wine they finally went to sit down with Ben and Sophie.

“Sophie darling you look so lovely” Tom said as he approached the table. He reached out to give her hugs and then grabbed Ben by the arms. “And you old dog you don’t look half bad either” he said 

“Thanks Tomcat” Ben replied “You’re not looking too shabby yourself. This must be the beautiful Marley that you can’t stop talking about” he said, reaching out to give Marley a hug also.

“Nice to meet you Benedict” Marley replied and she then extended her hand to his right “and you too Sophie”. Then she looked at Tom “Tomcat eh?”

Tom started to blush a nice crimson color. “That is just Ben trying to be funny” he said.

Ben looked at Marley “Well what do you call it Marley when a man is constantly out and about with so many women?” he winked to show he was only trying to harass Tom.

“Sounds about right to me Benedict” she replied  
“Ben dear, please. Benedict is only for those who don’t know me well and I believe we will be seeing much more of each other in the future if Tom has anything to say about it”  
“Ben it is then” Marley agreed.

“You’ll have to take these guys with a grain of salt Marley, as when these two get together there is never anything good that can come of it” Sophie warned.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Marley said. She was starting to relax a bit as they seemed like nice people.

After they had ordered their meals Sophie decided a bathroom visit was in order. Marley decided to go with her as she could use a freshen-up as well.

“Wow that was close. What the hell did she want now?” Tom asked Ben referring to woman who had been at their table earlier.

“The usual. She saw me and figured you might be around. You should really consider a restraining order Mate” Ben said.

“I would but I feel badly for her. I did have feelings for her but then I found out how psycho and possessive she was and that was the end of that relationship. They don’t like to give out restraining orders anyway unless the person does something harassing and just emailing and calling me is not really considered threatening. Especially since she is such a small thing compared to me. The police would just laugh” Tom replied.

“Well you may need to reconsider now that Marley is in your life because you don’t want her to do anything to ruin things with Marley.”

“Agreed” They had to stop then as the ladies were coming back from the washroom.

“So Tom,” Ben began, “Sophie and I have some news for you”.  
“Oh?”  
It was Sophie who spoke next “We have picked a wedding date!” she paused and then Ben added “We are getting married on Valentine’s day” he smiled

“Wow that’s quick” Tom answered “But I am glad. Why wait any longer?”  
“That’s great news” Marley added  
“And…” Ben paused, “I would like you to be my best man. Will you do it?”  
“Oh course I will you cheeky Bastard! I would be honored” Tom replied.

“Oh how exciting” Marley said.  
“And of course Ms. Marley you will be Tom’s plus one won’t you?” Ben asked  
“Really? Are you sure? I mean aren’t you planning a small ceremony and you hardly know me. I won’t be offended if you don’t want me to come” she answered.

“Don’t be so silly. You are a special person in Tom’s life and he is special in ours therefore you are automatically special to us too” Sophie answered.

“Well if you are sure, the I would be...”. Marley paused for a second and then said “I would be Over the Moon. Isn’t that how you all say it?”   
“Yes my dear it is” Tom replied laughing. He leaned in and started to give her a kiss on the cheek when he remembered he couldn’t do that. Marley knew what he was planning to do “Not so easy now is it?” she said  
“Harder than I imagined” Tom replied.

They continued on with their evening enjoying good food, good wine and more wedding conversation. They had to be very quiet though as they didn’t want the public to know about the date. Tom thought that Marley fit in well with the Cumberbatches and he was glad that this part of the evening went well. 

For the most part the ‘party of four’ wasn’t interrupted too much but every now and then a fan would spot Tom or Ben and come over asking for an autograph. They didn’t ask anything about Marley because they didn’t want to waste time when they wanted to get their pics of the others. Marley did hear one of the girls comment when she was walking away “Wonder who that is with Tom? He must have a new girlfriend” but that was it.

Tom found it hard to keep his hands off of Marley. Several more times throughout the night he started to stroke her cheek or massage her back but he remembered he couldn’t as ‘friends’ didn’t act like that. He did however sneak a feel under the table when no one was looking. This caused a slight squeal to leave Marley’s mouth followed by a jab to Tom’s arm and a dirty look in his direction. Tom just grinned as to him it was well worth it.

After dessert they ended their night as Sophie was getting quite tired. The baby was getting heavier every day and her energy was going with it. Marley and Tom said their goodbyes and headed on home, chalking tonight up as a success. Tom had been able to hold his libido in check for the evening but that willpower expired the second they got inside the door once again.


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom thinks about what could have gone wrong last night and the day of the premier arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delays between chapters as I am still working on editing One Plus One hoping to publish. Please leave comments as I love to hear from you.

Tom and Marley both slept late the next morning as they were exhausted. The only thing they had on their agendas for the day was getting ready for and attending the premier that night. Tom had hairstylists and makeup artists and tailors all scheduled to be at his house in the afternoon to help them get ready.

As Tom woke up, he looked over at Marley sleeping peacefully beside him. She really had no idea how beautiful she was. He looked at the pout of her lips which were still red from last night. He resisted reaching out to run his hand along her arm as it curved around her body, remembering the softness of her skin and how turned on he became just by touching her. His cock twitched as he thought about how magnificent it felt when he was buried deep inside of her, how wet and warm she was. He was so thankful that he had missed his flight all those months ago or he would never have met her.

His thoughts turned back to their supper last night. He was very excited to be part of Ben and Sophie’s wedding. He had been concerned for his friend as it all happened so fast for them but then he thought about him and Marley. If he could be this happy this soon then perhaps Ben could be happy to. 

His next thought was not a happy one and his skin chilled as he remembered seeing her last night. Man talk about a relationship gone wrong! When he met Jodi in the bar she seemed nice and normal. He wasn’t looking for a relationship and he told her that up front the way he always does, but then they seemed to be getting along well so they continued to see each other. He never made their relationship public as there was never any need to. A few photos had been taken and there had been speculation but that’s all there was. They had fun but it was never serious enough to warrant the extra attention publicly coming out as a couple would bring. 

After a while the fun started to fizzle as it normally does as a relationship progresses. Tom found that the two of them had nothing in common, she didn’t even like Shakespeare. But then something else happened that quickened the end of the coupling, Jodi started showing signs of jealousy. Whenever Tom would be away from her she would grill him when he returned asking him about how many fans he met and were they pretty and how many of them did he sleep with. She always commented on his costars and kept asking Tom if she could hang around on set with him as she wanted to make sure no one was putting the moves on her Tom. Every time she questioned him, Tom tried to reassure her but in the end Tom was too busy to put so much work into a relationship he knew was going nowhere. He decided it was time they should part ways. Jodi saw things differently. When Tom told her he thought they should stop seeing each other she got hysterical. She screamed at him and accused him of seeing someone else. Tom assured Jodi that he even though he hadn’t made any kind of monogamous commitment to her, that there had been no one else, that he just didn’t think they had a long term relationship.

Jodi then told Tom something that immediately ended any chance she had of keeping him….she said she had looked through his emails and texts on his phone and knew he was talking to other women! She knew he was having an affair behind her back and why else would he be texting any other woman but her.

Tom was furious and Tom never gets mad. He told her she had no right to check his personal information and immediately ordered her out of his home and out of his life! He then changed his passwords on everything he had to ensure she could not access them from somewhere else. He never felt so personally violated before in his life. 

After that day, Jodi kept popping up ‘coincidentally’ in his life, places like his grocery story and his favorite jogging path. She never crossed a line and attacked him directly but she always seemed to be wherever he was. He heard from his friends that she kept asking about him whenever they would run into her. He would see her outside his house and he knew she was watching him. 

When Tom had gone to Louisiana to shoot ISTL it stopped because she couldn’t afford to follow him there. He thought she had finally gotten over him as when he got back to London he didn’t see here anymore. He finally was able to breathe easier and forget about her until last night when she reminded him she wasn’t gone just yet.

Thank goodness Marley didn’t see her or that she didn’t see Marley as Tom didn’t know what would happen. He only knew it would not be pleasant and he was afraid she would scare Marley away. Tom thanked his lucky stars that Ben was able to warn him and get rid of her before he and Marley got to the table.

As all of this was playing through Tom’s mind, Marley woke up, stretching herself awake to find Tom looking in her direction but with a serious and worried expression.

“What’s up Tom, you look distressed about something?”  
Tom snapped back to the present, turning towards Marley and a huge smile broke out on his face. “Oh nothing Luv, I was thinking about how nice it is to have you here and then I started to think about you having to leave and it made me unhappy” 

“Ah, you are so sweet but I am sure you will survive when I’m gone.” Marley replied as she reached out and lightly pinched his cheek.

“I might survive but I won’t be near as happy”  
“Don’t think about it then. Instead why don’t you snuggle over here and remind me how much you enjoy my company” she suggested.  
“We may never leave the bed if I do” he replied  
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take if you are”  
“Let’s see how it goes then” Tom said as he ducked under the covers and made Marley laugh.  
They managed to sneak in another hour before they were forced to get ready for the day.

After hours of primping, curling, straightening, polishing, painting and dressing they were both ready for their big night. Tom looked his usual stunning self in a black Giorgio Armani tuxedo and black patent leather Prada shoes. The white dress shirt he wore underneath could barely contain his muscular chest as the buttons were pulling in the front. Marley was wearing an aqua-colored Christian Dior gown with Jimmy Choo silver shoes and matching clutch. Her dress was elegant yet low cut enough to show off her ample cleavage and there was a slit on the right side which showed off her wonderfully sculpted thigh and calf muscles. The two of them looked like they belonged in fashion magazines.

“Marley you are making it hard for me to breathe Luv!” Tom said as he couldn’t get over how ravishing she looked.   
“That’s because all your oxygen in your blood is rushing to your pants my dear” she replied with a wink.   
“Is it that obvious?” he grinned reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist.

Luke, Tom’s PR assistant, had arrived while they were getting ready and he stepped in at this point “Easy Tom, that look needs to hold up all night and if you get your hands on her she won’t look the same” he reminded him.

“You are such a spoil sport Luke. But I guess you are right. I want everyone to see how beautiful you are” he said looking back at Marley.

“I don’t know Tom; I think all eyes will be on you as you look absolutely stunning in your tux. Those fan girls of yours will go insane once they see you” Marley replied.

“Okay you two, enough of the admiration society, we need to get a move on” Luke said as he urged them towards the door. 

“If we must” Tom said begrudgingly.   
The three of them headed out into the limo that was waiting in the driveway. 

“I half expected to see a pumpkin turning into a coach” Marley said “Because I sure feel like Cinderella tonight!”

“I can’t agree” Tom said “as you look way hotter than Cinderella ever did”  
“Flattery will get you everywhere Mr. Hiddleston”  
“That is what I was counting on” he replied with a salacious grin on his face.

They arrived at the venue 20 minutes later. The limousines were lined up around the block. This gave Luke a few more minutes to prep the couple before they had to get out.

“So remember, unless you want to out yourselves as a couple, you need to keep your hands to yourself Tom. A hand on the waist to steer Marley around is fine, but no full body presses, understand?”

“Yes Daddy I will behave” Tom joked  
“And Marley, try to relax and remember to smile. The crowd will want to know you are having a good time otherwise they might think Tom is not a fun date and that would ruin his image”

“Have you spent any time with this guy?” she asked, “Because I can’t be in the same room with him without smiling. I don’t think that will be a problem, he is infectious”

“Relax Luke, you have prepped us well. We will remember all the things we are or aren’t supposed to do and we will make you proud”

“Thanks Son” Luke said, this time being the one to make the joke.

It was now their turn to get out onto the red carpet. Tom stepped out and the crowd went insane screaming and calling out his name. He responded with a wave and his patented smile as he made his way around the car to Marley.

Marley took one last deep breath before stepping out and then looked Tom directly in the eye for support. He squeezed her hand lightly and then whispered “I’ve got you” which helped put her at ease.

As they made their way around the car the crowd grew louder as they realized that Tom had a date. Tom continued to smile and wave and Marley had on the biggest smile she could possibly make. It wasn’t faked either as she was nervous but this was so exciting she couldn’t help but smile.

They made their way up the carpet, Tom stopping every now and then to sign a couple of autographs and snap a few selfies as Marley stood slightly behind him out of the way. Each time he stopped people wanted to know who Marley was but Tom didn’t reply until they got to the photographers. As they started to line up for shots, Tom addressed the crowd, “Thank you all. I would very much like to introduce you to the poor woman who is cursed enough to be my date for tonight. This is my friend Marley and this is her first experience on a red carpet. Please don’t scare her off as I could use the company this evening” his jokes put both the crowd and Marley at ease. 

They stood for what seemed like hours working their way through the press line. They were almost through when they heard a commotion behind them. When they turned to look they could see a woman, who was clearly not dressed for the occasion, running towards them with security close behind her. Tom instinctively stepped in front of Marley as Luke rushed to help them both stay out of the way. Tom wondered who this woman was and what she wanted but as she got closer and he could hear her, his wonder turned to panic as he knew who she was. Jodi was running towards them hollering “Tom, how could you take another woman instead of me? You can’t abandon me now Tom, not when I am carrying your baby!”

A large hush fell over the crowd as they tried to decide if they heard what they thought they did and wanting to see what Tom’s reply would be. Marley stood frozen in place trying to figure out what this crazy person was doing. Everyone thought she was just some crazy fan when someone yelled out “That’s Tom’s old girlfriend.” Now everyone was paying attention as the situation went from a stalking incident to major news. Flash bulbs went crazy trying to get pictures of Tom, Marley and Jodi all at the same time. 

Tom finally reacted. It had only been a few seconds but time seemed to have stood still waiting for his response. He reached out to Jodi and tried to calm her down. “Jodi, please stop making such a scene. You know we aren’t together anymore so I certainly didn’t abandon you” he said. “And what is this nonsense you are trying to make people believe?” Luke came up to him then and tried to pull him away. “Tom let it go and let’s get inside. The more you say the more credibility it will give to her insanity.”  
“You’re right.” Tom said “Marley let’s go inside”. Tom turned to reach for Marley only to find out that she was nowhere in sight.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley both try to figure out what just happened but each have a different way of dealing with it.

Tom started to holler out “Marley? Marley where are you?” but before he could find her Luke pulled him inside the theatre.

“What are you doing Luke? I need to find Marley. Where did she go?”  
“I don’t know Tom, we will find her. Right now though you need to take your seat inside”  
“Inside? How can I possibly go on with my night after what just happened? I need to find Marley and tell her the truth. I can’t let her think that Jodi is right”  
“Look Tom, if you run out of here then people will know that your relationship with Marley is more than casual and also it will lend credibility to Jodi’s statements.”  
“I can’t go in there Luke like nothing happened. I’m a good actor but that is pushing it too far. All eyes will be on me tonight to see my reaction, to see if I let my guard down. It will be too much”  
“How about this then? You have to present an award so why don’t you just hang out backstage instead of going to your seat. That way the cameras won’t be on you. Once you finish presenting, go sit in your seat for one more award and then you can leave for the loo and not return. Can you do that much?”  
“Ok Luke, I will try. BUT you need to have people trying to find Marley because as soon as I am done with this charade I am going to be with her if she will talk to me”  
“Deal. Now go get ready”

Tom disappeared backstage. As soon as he could find an empty room, he slipped inside and shut the door. He needed a few minutes of peace. Tom stood there in disbelief, how could a night that was supposed to be so much fun, turn into such a nightmare? He and Marley were supposed to have a nice time at the awards. He was so proud to have her by his side even if the world didn’t know what she meant to him yet. They would have fun dancing and he would have introduced him to more of his friends at the afterparty. They would have flirted when no one was watching; he would have stolen a kiss when no one was around to notice. Now instead he had his privacy dragged through the mud by his insane ex-girlfriend and his Marley had left him. What must she be thinking right now? Did she want anying to do with him? Did she believe what Jodi was saying? And what about Jodi? Surely she could not be pregnant. They used protection every time. What was she trying to do?

Being alone in the room didn’t exactly calm Tom down as his mind was all over the place. He was angry, he was scared, he was confused, he was upset… he didn’t have to act out his feelings now as they were all spilling out of him naturally. Calling on his yoga learning he tried to slow his breathing and to calm his nerves. He tried to focus on something calming to bring peace to his jangled emotions. After a few minutes, he felt he was calm enough he could venture out of the room and try to find his way to the area where he needed to be to prepare to present the award.

As Tom stepped out of the room, Luke found him. “There you are Tom; I have been looking all over for you. You do look a little better than when I left you”  
“I found a little peace and quiet so I could pull myself together long enough to get this over with. Have you found Marley yet?”  
“Not yet but we will. Do you remember what you need to do from the rehearsal?”  
“Yes, it’s pretty simple. I’ve done these enough times I could almost do them in my sleep, which is good since I am certainly not focussing on this right now”

Just then the host of the event, Stephen Fry, came towards them.   
“Tom my boy, quite a night so far for you”  
“Yes Stephen it has been”  
“See Tom that’s why I stick with men, less drama and no unwanted pregnancies!” he grinned  
“I’ll keep that in mind Stephen. You never know” he chuckled.  
“Well come on this way while we get you set up for your presentation.”   
“Lead on” Tom replied.

Tom waited backstage for about an hr before it was finally his turn to present. Mark Strong was presenting with him and they stood in the wings waiting for their moment.  
“So Tom, looks like you have quite a night ahead of you” Mark quipped.  
“Yes not exactly the one I was hoping for”   
“Say, who was that pretty bird on the red carpet with you? She’s a real looker.”  
“She is isn’t she? She’s a friend I met in Toronto when I was there last. She is visiting and agreed to accompany me tonight.”  
“Friend is she?”  
“Yes Mark just a friend although after the embarrassment of tonight’s events I don’t think I will ever be able to be seen in public with her again”  
“Don’t worry mate it will blow over. I am sure she will understand. Can’t help what them crazy bitches do” he smirked.  
“Let’s hope so”  
“Gentleman you are up” the stage manager called to them.  
They were on their way and Tom was happy to get this over with so he could finally find Marley to explain.

While Tom was trying to figure out how we was going to get through the night, Marley had decided she wanted to be as far away from the situation as possible. She ran from the red carpet as fast as she could. She didn’t know who that woman was, Tom never mentioned her, nor did she care. This just proved that her instincts that very first night were right. Getting away from Tom before they could get serious was the best idea. She knew Tom was the kind of man who could break her heart if she let him which was why she had been determined not to put herself in any situation that could lead to that. 

So why hadn’t she stuck to her instincts? Why had she let him back in? She knew why, Tom had pursued her. Tom with all his charm, with all him gentlemanly ways, with that adorable face and that well sculpted body, had broken through her normal defenses and made her think maybe it could be different.

Thankfully they still hadn’t been together long enough for this to seriously hurt her. Tom was great and she could have likely developed real feelings for him if this hadn’t have happened. So maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Maybe that crazy woman, whoever she was, stopped things from getting serious and prevented Marley from getting her heart broken.

Marley grabbed a cab and got back to Tom’s house while she knew he would still be at the awards. The housekeeper let her in when she got there as she could see she was visibly upset. She grabbed all her belongings, packed them back into her suitcase and then called the airport to see when the next flight back to Canada was. Unfortunately there were no flights until the next day so she had to figure out where to sleep tonight.  
One of her friends had told her about a hotel she had stayed at that was nice yet reasonably priced. Marley decided to call them to see if she could get a reservation. She then called the cab company again and in a matter of 15 mins she was on her way out of Tom’s house and planning on being out of his life as well.


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Marley are hurting and trying to make sense of things as Jodi revels in the turmoil she is causing.

Smile, read the prompter, hand out the award and act happy for the winner. Finally Tom was able to get off the stage and he immediately headed to the lobby and towards the back door where his driver would be waiting. Just as he was about to exit, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the theatre.

“Tom, stop”   
“Look Luke I’m not staying here any longer, I need to find Marley and explain”  
“Tom you can’t leave, you need to make an appearance inside the theatre. You need to make it look like nothing is wrong.”  
“That’s just it, something is wrong and I can’t sit here and pretend it’s not. I stayed and met my obligation and now I am going to try to find Marley and see if I can salvage our relationship.”  
“Fine but please be careful. Try and stay out of the public and don’t do anything you are going to regret” Luke cautioned Tom.  
“When it comes to Marley the only thing I could regret is not trying hard enough” Tom exited out the rear of the building and into his car.

While Tom and Marley were feeling the pain of the evening’s events, Jodi was having the moment she had been waiting for…the moment when Tom could no longer deny she existed, the moment the world would know how important she was. Security had removed her from the red carpet but as soon as they left the reporters surrounded her asking a million questions at the same time.

“Jodi, why did Tom leave you?”  
“Jodi, how long were you and Tom together?”  
“Jodi did Tom cheat on you?”

“Tom and I were in a committed relationship, we loved each other. He told me he wanted my babies. Then when I tell him I’m pregnant with his child he tells me he’s leaving me for that home wrecker he was with tonight. He broke my heart when all I wanted to do was love him. I trusted him and all he did was use me.” She then started sobbing to gain the sympathy of the press.

“Poor Jodi. Tell us what else he did to you” they begged, looking for even more gossip they could print about Tom. Finally they had some dirt on Tom, Mr Perfect as they all called him. They knew it was only time until the real Tom appeared and now they were glad they were there to see it happen. 

“I’m sorry I’m too shook up. I need to get home and take care of my baby” Jodi replied. She needed to get out of here for now as she wasn’t going to give this all away for free.  
A taxi was pulling up to the curb just then so Jodi stepped towards it. Getting inside she left them with one last comment “Tom is not the man you all think he is but I love him anyway”

Marley was inside her hotel room trying to book her flight for the next day. She needed to get home and away from this insanity as soon as she could before it got any worse. As it was now people would have seen what went on tonight and she wouldn’t be able to stay anonymous. She finally got her flight arranged and she tried to relax on the bed to get some sleep. The events of the evening exhausted her but she was still too wired up to sleep. She turned on the TV and saw the one thing she didn’t want to see- Tom! It was showing him standing backstage waiting to present the award. Tom was looking so handsome in his suit and tie just like she left him. She reached to turn off the TV as it was painful to look at him, but something stopped her. As much as she didn’t want to see him, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She watched as he walked out on stage with Mark. She watched his long legs stride across the stage. She watched him turn from serious to cheerful as he put on his megawatt smile. 

Tears began to fill her eyes as thought of how that smile had so often been for her. She had been so happy; she thought they had been so happy, now she realized it was all a charade. Tom was exactly like she had been afraid he would be- a Hollywood playboy who was only adding her to his conquest list! A baby! He is having a baby with another woman and at the same time acting like she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

And where was he now? Going on like nothing had happened. If she ever had a doubt that Tom might be a victim here too, his not coming after her erased that doubt from her mind. If he truly had feelings for her, he would have left the awards to find her and try to explain. Instead he went on with his evening as if nothing had happened. Standing up there on stage smiling and charming as ever, he looked completely unphased by what had happened earlier. Marley on the other hand, felt like her whole world has spun on his axis and she was now living on Mars. 

Who exactly was this Jodi anyway? Had she and Tom been seeing each other all along? She didn’t look pregnant so she couldn’t be very far along yet. Marley tried to do the math… it had been about 2 months since Tom arrived on her doorstep at New Years. It had been 3 months before when they first met in the airport. So that means that while Tom may not have slept with Jodi since he came to see Marley, he certainly had to have slept with her since she and Tom had first been together. The way Jodi talked, she and Tom weren’t just a one night stand so does that mean Tom cheated on Jodi when he slept with Marley in Toronto?

Marley’s head was spinning and with each new question she came up with the angrier she was that she let herself get mixed up with Tom in the first place. She should have listened to her instincts back then and when she left his bed in the hotel, she should have never looked back!

Why couldn’t she have gotten an airplane out tonight? Staying here one day longer only made the pain that much worse. As soon as she could get out of London, she could go back to her normal life and forget she ever met him. In her world it would be easy to forget as thankfully he hadn’t been there for too long. He hadn’t had time to invade her apartment or her environment yet so she could forget he was ever there. At least she thought she could.

After what seemed like hours alternating between crying and throwing things and punching pillows, Marley collapsed on her bed worn out from all she had been through.

While Marley slept from emotional exhaustion, Tom was in his car speeding back to his house. He had a feeling he only had so much time before Marley would be gone as she had run from him before and that was when things were good. Now that things were looking bad for them, he didn’t expect she would hang around.

When the car finally reached his house, Tom jumped out of the car before it barely had time to stop. He opened the door yelling Marley’s name as he ran up the stairs trying to find her. He called her name over and over as he raced from room to room but he saw no sign of her. When he entered his room and looked around, he saw no sign of her suitcase either. He knew it was bad as if he had missed her she could be anywhere. London was a big city and if she had timed things right, she was probably on a plane back to Canada already. 

Tom’s housekeeper had seen him rush in and when he ventured back downstairs she confirmed what he already knew… Marley had packed her things and left. The housekeeper didn’t know where Marley was going, all she knew she called a cab from Radio Taxis about 2 hours ago and left.

Tom’s suspicions were confirmed. Well at least he knew what cab company she used. He called Luke and gave him the taxi information. If anyone could track down where she went it would be Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you are still enjoying the story. I will try to add more chapters soon.


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom tries to track down Marley with some success

As expected Luke was able to track down the address of the hotel where Marley went. Tom was relieved as it would be much easier to get to her at a hotel than the airport. He hoped it also meant she wasn’t done with him and there was still a chance he could fix this. 

Their relationship was still in the beginning stages but Tom knew they had something special and he wasn’t ready to give it up. He couldn’t explain it but Marley meant more to him after only a few short months and barely any time spent together, than any of his other girlfriends had after several months in the same city. He had gotten use to not having someone special in his life and he had been happy, until he met Marley.

As his taxi pulled up to the hotel, Tom was glad there was hardly anyone around the outside of the building. While no one would expect him to be here, you never knew who could be lurking around and would recognize him. After Jodi’s scene on the red carpet the media would be trying to track him down as this was now big paparazzi news. Once the sharks smell blood, they don’t leave you alone and he knew they would be trying to follow his every move. Hopefully leaving the Awards early threw them off and bought him some time before they could catch up with him.

He left the cab and bounded up the stairs, thankful that his long legs allowed him to reach the top very quickly. Inside the lobby he spotted the reception counter and rushed to it. The clerk was standing with her back to him checking the fax machine when Tom stepped up.

“Excuse me Miss”

She turned around and started to say hello when she realized who was standing in front of her. Her mouth hung open and she froze while her brain tried to register what was happening. She was a huge Tom Hiddleston fan and had fantasized about what it would be like if he ever came into her hotel. She never expected it to happen, but here he was in all his gorgeousness, standing right in front of her. After taking a second to compose herself she was able to regain her professional demeanor and speak.

“Mr. Hiddleston, how lovely to see you. How may I help you?”

“I have a close friend staying here that I need to get a hold of. She just checked in and she hasn’t gotten time to send me her room number yet. I know this is not something you wouldn’t normally do, but is there any way you could get me her room number so I may see her?” Tom knew this was a long shot but he had to try. “I’d be really appreciative of anyone who could help me out”

The woman behind the desk got the most peculiar look on her face. Tom could tell she was considering what his appreciation could mean for her. Hopefully she wasn’t thinking about sexual favours as he wasn’t about to go there.

“Appreciative enough to drop by my son’s school and say hi to his class? He is a huge Loki fan and I would be the best Mom ever if I could arrange this for him”

Tom wasn’t expecting that but sure he could do it. It was too important to him, so he needed to do it.

“Deal! Now I need to know what room Marley Price is in.”

She checked her computer “I can’t tell you her room number but, I can tell you that she just placed a room service order and we will be taking it to her room in just a minute. I couldn’t be held responsible if you happened to follow it to her room now could I?” she grinned and gave him a wink.

“That will work.” He grabbed her business card off the counter. “I’ll have my assistant call you to set up the visit.”

“Thank you Mr Hiddleston my son will be so happy. Oh and there is the trolley now”

“Thanks luv” Tom hollered over his shoulder as he bolted after the food trolley. Once he was in the elevator he could see the meal ticket with the room number on it. It suddenly occurred to him that while Marley may not want to let him in her room, she would open the door for the room service waiter. He looked over at the man and realized that thankfully he looked close to Tom’s size. 

“Excuse me sir” Tom said to the attendant. “I am trying to be romantic and surprise my girlfriend and you just happen to be bringing her meal to her. Would you mind if I borrowed your jacket and delivered it to her myself? I know what room she is in so I wouldn’t be getting you in trouble other than you would need to swap jackets with me. I am willing to pay you 100 quid for your troubles and I will leave the jacket in the room so you can get it later.”

“Blimy, for a 100 quid mate, you can keep the jacket!” 

Tom reached into his wallet and handed the man the money as the elevator chimed for them to exit. Once in the hall, the man handed him his jacket. He commented to Tom as he was turning to leave “Good luck man, I hope she is worth it.”

“Oh she is” said Tom, “She definitely is”

Tom pulled off his coat and slipped on the waiter’s jacket. It was a little short in the sleeves but it should be good enough to fool Marley. He didn’t like to be deceitful but he feared it was the only way she would allow him in.

Hunching over the trolley so she could not see his face, Tom knocked on the door “Room Service” he said in a rich cockney accent. His skills as an actor were coming in handy right now as she wouldn’t recognize his voice.

While Tom had been trying to track Marley down, she had finally managed to get some sleep. She woke up feeling quite refreshed despite the heartache she still felt. She had realized she was extremely hungry and had placed an order with room service. Marley wasn’t going to risk going out in case anyone should recognize her as the last thing she needed was an inquisition 

While she was waiting she decided to slip into a warm bath to see if that would help her feel better. The suds and the warm water felt so good on her tired aching muscles. She was tired from the walk down the red carpet in her high heels and she was tired from the running she did to get away from the theatre and she was tired emotionally from realizing Tom was not the good guy she thought he was. Her shoulders were tense and sore from the stress that was sitting in them. 

She tried not to think of Tom. She had been use to meditating and so she used her skills to try to erase her mind of any thoughts positive or negative. This worked for a little while but she couldn’t keep her thoughts off of him. She kept picturing his naked body in the bath with her - his rippling muscles, his beautiful skin and his very pleasing manhood. A smile would break out on her face and then her mind would flash to Jodi standing there shouting “His baby! His baby!” Marley’s eyes would jerk open and her relaxation was done.

She decided to give up and got out of the bath. Since she wasn’t going anywhere she just slipped into the nice fluffy robe the hotel had supplied. Marley planned to find some old movie on TV and just try to forget what was going on. She hoped the wine she ordered would be good because she could use the numbness the wine would provide her.

It seemed like she was barely out of the bath when she heard the knock on her door and a man’s voice saying it was room service. Marley went to the door and peaked out the peephole. She couldn’t see much of the waiter as his head was down but she could see he had on the hotel’s uniform. The bottle of wine she had ordered was on the tray so she was satisfied it was safe to open the door. She was reaching for the handle when her phone rang. 

Normally she would have let the phone just ring but she thought it may be her friend calling her back. Marley had called Deb earlier to let her know she was coming home sooner than expected. She needed to ensure someone was at the airport to pick her up. Marley grabbed the handle pulling it open, and then turned her back to the door as she moved to the other side of the room to get the phone. 

“Come on in, just give me a moment to grab this and I’ll be right there.” she said as she reached for the phone.   
“Sure thing” Tom replied, still in his made up accent. He quietly closed the door behind him.

Marley put the phone up to her ear and said hi, expected it to be Deb, instead she heard:  
“Hello Miss, this is the room service captain; just calling to let you know your food is on its way to you.”

“Well he beat you to it” she said turning towards the door “He’s here al…..” She stopped in mid speech, dropping the phone to the floor. Her heart started racing and her stomach became instantly nauseous at the sight in front of her. 

“Tom!” was all she could say before she crashed to the floor unconscious.


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom finally gets a chance to explain but will it make a difference?

Tom rushed over to Marley, calling her name. He became panicked when she didn’t answer him. He ran the back of his hand over her cheek, it was warm to the touch but she looked pale. She was breathing but her eyes were closed. 

“Marley, Marley answer me please. Marley are you okay?”

Still no answer. He ran to get a cold cloth. As he placed it on her forehead he pulled his phone out to dial 911. Before he could complete dialing, Marley’s eyes cracked open as she tried to focus on him.

“T..o..m..” she whispered weakly.  
“Marley, oh my god you frightened me. Are you okay?”   
She started to lift her head but he held her back against the floor.

“Don’t move Luv. You might have a head injury. Stay where you are for a moment.”

“I’m okay” she said, her voice still weak but getting better. She couldn’t believe Tom was here. How did he find her?

“Let’s get the hotel doctor up here to make sure”

“No, don’t I’m fine” she was starting to get her strength back and she didn’t want to cause a fuss.

“I’m being serious Marley. I’m getting you a doctor. You may have hurt your head or neck when you fell. Stay down. I won’t take no for an answer”. 

Tom picked up his phone again and dialed the front desk. The doctor on call was going to come right up.

“There once he checks you out then I won’t worry anymore.”  
“Why would you worry about me anyway? Don’t you have enough women in your life to worry about?” Not only was she getting back to normal but she remembered why she didn’t want him here in the first place.

 

“Marley please. I came to explain. Please let me?’  
“Why should I? And how did you find me anyway?”

“Does it matter? I wasn’t going to stop looking until I did. Even if I had to take a plane to the US to get you”

Marley was sure he didn’t mean it but right now she wasn’t in a position to argue. The doctor was at the door asking to come in.

The doctor gave Marley a quick once over to make sure it was safe to move her and then with Tom’s help he got her up on the bed. Tom moved to the sitting area at the other end of the room so the Doctor could talk to Marley in private. He would have stepped outside but he was afraid Marley would close the door and he wouldn’t get back in.

After several more minutes of conversation, and blood pressure and temperature taking, the doctor told Marley he felt there was no serious damage. She told him she just fainted from surprise and that she felt fine now, so he was inclined to just let her rest. But he told her she wasn’t allowed to fly for at least 2 days to ensure there were no further problems. 

Marley told him again she was okay but he insisted. Now how was she going to get away from Tom?!

The doctor excused himself and headed back to his office downstairs.  
Tom made his way back up to where Marley was laying. 

“Tom, don’t start. There isn’t anything you can say that will make a difference. I didn’t want to get involved with you in the first place because I knew your life was too crazy for a simple girl like me. I don’t need all the complications and I don’t want a man who isn’t interested in committing to me as I don’t need a broken heart. You fooled me into thinking that you were different with your sweet caring nature, but your true colors came back to bite you tonight didn’t they?”

“Marley I know you are angry with me and perhaps you are right to be, but please take it easy. I am concerned about your health. If you want me to leave I will but you need to let me explain first. Jodi wasn’t telling the truth and I need you to know what it is”

Marley’s head was starting to hurt and all she wanted was to be alone but she knew he wasn’t about to leave.

“You have 15mins. After that you leave whether you are finished or not as I need to sleep”

“Thank you. That’s all I need”. Tom stopped for a moment to try to think where to start his explanation.

“The woman from the red carpet tonight is an ex-girlfriend of mine, that part is true. But the part that isn’t, is how much of a relationship we had. We were together only a couple of months and I knew the relationship wasn’t working out. I told her as much, and that it was time to end things but she didn’t like that idea. She kept coming around and following me places. She was in denial and kept this illusion going that we were still a couple.”

“Why didn’t you get a restraining order?”  
“I did and that worked for a while. I thought I was finally done with her as she couldn’t get to me. I had heard nothing from her until the other night when we had dinner with Ben and Sophie.”

“She was there?!”  
“I’m afraid so. Remember when we walked in and I turned around to go back to the bar to get wine?” Marley nodded.

“I could see her at the table with Ben. I couldn’t let her see us as I didn’t know what kind of scene she would make.”

“What did she want?” As much as Marley still wasn’t changing her mind, she was interested in hearing the whole story.

“She saw Ben and went right to him thinking she might get to see me. Ben told her I wasn’t around and headed her out the door before she could see us. I knew if she saw you she would be jealous and I didn’t want to subject you to her craziness.”

“If that’s true, then what about the baby? Surely she wouldn’t go so far as to announce to the world it was yours if it wasn’t? That means you were sleeping with her between the times you were with me, yet when I asked you told me there had been no one. You lied!”

“No Marley honest I didn’t. I wasn’t with her. I hadn’t been in a while and even when we were together, I always used protection. Especially towards the end as she was getting more jealous all the time and I was getting a little concerned about her motives.”

“I want to believe you Tom, I really do. But all this drama is too much for me, you are asking me to trust you more than I think I am able to. We should just call it quits while we are ahead.”

“I’m sorry but I can’t. Marley I don’t know why, but I know I can’t let you go. We haven’t been together long enough to say its love but I feel something for you that I haven’t felt before. When you left the hotel that first morning I felt separation anxiety over a woman I had just met and it stayed with me until I was able to see you again. Usually I would be happy not to be tied down by someone’s expectations, but not in this case. I use to like being free of emotional commitments as it was easier. But I don’t feel like being with you is a responsibility or a burden instead I feel it’s a privilege. I feel honoured that you want to be with me and I feel lucky each time I am with you. This isn’t make-believe, or acting, this is how I truly feel.” Tom paused then and Marley noticed his eyes were turning red and his cheeks were flushed.

“I know you have no reason to trust me Marley” he continued, “but I am hoping if you feel even a little bit of what I have been feeling that you will take a risk and stick with me a little longer.” He stopped then and looked at Marley with what can only be described as ‘puppy dog eyes’. He was a broken man, he couldn’t believe this was happening and he never felt so helpless in all his life. For once something we wanted was completely out of his control and it scared him that it might be taken away.

Marley sat in silence, thinking about what Tom had said. She did feel something different towards him than she had other men, which is why she had continued to see him despite her initial fears and suspicions. Now that it looked like her fears were coming true, surely she should just run as far and as fast as she could and leave him behind. But something he said did stick with her; he said being with her was a privilege. He also said he hoped she would take a risk. Did he really feel like she was a privilege, her Marley Prince? That is not something someone would just think to say as it was so unusual. She did feel something special towards him and yet it scared her to take a risk. 

“Tom, I feel so mixed up over this all. I do have feelings for you that I can’t understand but I am scared to take a risk because it has backfired on me before. I need a little time to process this as so far I have only reacted to what I saw before me. This is more complicated than it appears.” She stopped for a moment and then went on “I will make you a deal.”

“Anything, what is it?

“I am willing to stay in London 3 more days to allow you time to deal with this mess. But during that time, I will be staying here in the hotel by myself and I need you to respect my privacy. You can call me, but I don’t want you to visit again until I ask you to. I don’t want to be in the middle of this three ring circus that this Jodi has created. I’ll take this time to think about what you have said and at the end of the week I will make my decision.”

“That’s perfect. I can do that. Thank you for believing in me and whatever this thing is between us. I will respect your wishes and I will deal with Jodi. You can be sure I will fix this mess so we can be together again if you decide what we have is worth it.”

“Good now please leave so I can get something to eat.”

“Until Friday” he said as he headed for the door. Before he reached it, he suddenly turned around and went back to Marley. Taking her by surprise, he put his hands on both sides of her face and touched his lips to hers. The kiss was more powerful than any that had passed between them before. It was full of passion, full of romance and when they broke away Marley was gasping for breath.

“I fear if things go wrong this could be the last kiss we have. If it is to be the last, I needed to make sure you know how I feel.” And with that he headed out the door leaving Marley in stunned silence. She put her hands to her mouth savouring the taste of his lips that lingered on her own. Regardless of what happened between them, she would never forget the feeling of that kiss.


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom racks his brain trying to figure things out. He almost comes to blows with Luke as a result.

Tom walked down the hallway of the hotel determined more than ever to stop Jodi from messing up his life and ruining his relationship with Marley. He felt like Marley believed him but he knew she didn’t want all this hassle. How could he show her that it wasn’t always like this when they had barely been together and this happens?

All the way back to his house, he kept running scenarios through his mind to try to figure out his next move.

Should he contact Jodi and ask her what the fuck she is doing to him?  
Probably not since he would want to strangle her and that would not be a good resolution. 

Should he give her money to leave the country and him forever? Probably not it would make him look guilty when he knew the baby couldn’t be his. 

Should he try to get her medical records and prove she is lying? Probably not since the doctor’s office would not be willing to give out that information. 

After running all of this through his mind over and over, he finally figured out what he should do and what he should have done right from the start…call Luke! 

Tom needed to wait until he got home to call Luke as he always made it a practise to never conduct any conversation in a taxi that he wouldn’t want the general public to know. He could never be sure that the driver wouldn’t sell what he heard to the highest bidder and ruin whatever little privacy Tom had left.

As soon as his head was inside his doorway, Tom had his mobile to his ear and it was already dialing Luke.

“Luke, its Tom. I found Marley”  
“Great Tom, I’m so glad. So where do things stand?”

“On shaky ground Mate, on very shaky ground. I have until Friday to try to fix this mess and after that Marley will be back in Canada and I’ll never see her again. I can’t let that happen!”

“Got it. So I have been thinking about this whole mess and I need to ask you some questions you aren’t going to like to answer. They are necessary though in order for me to figure out the best way for us to deal with this situation”

“Go for it Luke. I’d rather you ask them then a reporter somewhere.”

“Ok. Is there a chance this could be your baby?”

“No, I can’t image it could be. I haven’t slept with Jodi in over 4 months, not since before I met Marley”

“We don’t know how far along she is though. Did you use protection?”

“Yes you wanker, of course I did. What do you take me for a fool?” Tom’s blood pressure was starting to rise.

“Hey man watch it with the name calling, I’m only trying to help you”

“I’m sorry Luke, of course you are. This whole thing has just been terribly upsetting. I knew Jodi was bad news but I never figured she would stoop to something as low as this.”

“Desperate women do desperate things Tom. You’re a celebrity and everyone wants a piece of a celebrity. Who know maybe even Marley might turn vindictive if you ever turned her away”

“Luke you are lucky you are on the phone and not standing in front of me as I would have punched you in bollocks after a comment like that. Don’t ever lump Marley in the same category as these other gold diggers. Marley isn’t like that, she is the kind of girl men wish they had and I am not going to mess this up.”

“I guess it’s my turn to say sorry mate. I didn’t mean to insinuate anything about Marley’s character I was just trying to say that sometimes people change and not for the better.”

“I agree, but Marley is different and I trust her not to treat me this way. If anything I am afraid of hurting her. She is the one who doubts how sincere I am. I am worried the relationship may already be over.”

“Well let’s see what we can do to fix it then” 

Tom and Luke talked for about an hour as they figure out how to handle the situation with the least amount of destruction in anyone’s life. At the end of the discussion they were confident they had the best plan laid out but they wouldn’t know how successful it would be until it was completed. Success would be measured in 2 ways: 

1) Jodi would be called out as a liar and out of Tom’s life for good and,

2) Things would be settled well enough that Marley would believe they could get through anything and would give Tom another chance. 

The first goal they were quite positive could be achieved, it was the second goal that Tom was more worried about and the one that Tom wanted to achieve the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter but I needed the suspense to last a little longer. I was also busy checking out all the birthday tributes to Tom today.  
> Happy Birthday darling Thomas, Happy Birthday to you! (sung in the style of Marilyn Munroe)


	47. Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley does some thinking and some drinking after Tom leaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry to take so long. Had a bit of a writer's block on this one but I think we are fueled up and back on track. Hope you like it. All comments welcome.

After Tom left, Marley was very confused. Her common sense was telling her this was a bad situation and she needed to bail as soon as possible before she got hurt any more. But there was Tom, telling her all the things she wanted to hear and making her think he was different, that the situation was different. 

Marley decided to go to the bar downstairs in the hotel. She was pretty sure no one would recognize her and she needed a drink desperately. If she sat in the corner maybe she could have her drink in peace and she would be able to relax. Numbing her brain right now was exactly what she needed. 

Dressing in her jeans and a plain V-neck T-Shirt, Marley tried to blend in with the atmosphere and not make herself noticeable. Despite her intentions, she did not escape the attention of a certain bar patron who was sitting alone at the bar facing the door. He specifically planted himself in this spot so he could see who came and went. Noticing Marley enter and sit in the corner of the room, he knew it was time for him to get to work. He had a job to do and he wasn’t getting paid for sitting at the bar drinking.

Marley ordered a glass of white wine and a shot of tequila and looked around the bar to see what was going on. Her mind wasn’t really on what she was seeing as her thoughts kept going back to Tom. She was kicking herself right now as she really should have trusted her intuition and stayed away. Even now she was wondering why she was wasting her time waiting for him to come back as she knew he wouldn’t be able to wipe this away. A baby didn’t just disappear.

While Marley sipped her wine she downed the shot and ordered another. She started thinking about the last few days. She was so lost in her thoughts and agonizing about what she had done and wondering what she should do, she didn’t notice that everyone had left the room with the exception of the one man sitting at the bar. As Marley was sitting there putting herself down, the waiter walked over with a glass of wine for her and another shot.

“Thank you, but I didn’t order another drink”  
“It’s from the gentleman at the end of the bar.” 

“Thank you but could you take it back and tell him no thanks?”  
“Sure Madam” he said and off he went.

When the waiter told the man what Marley had said, he took the glasses from the waiter, got up and headed back to Marley’s table.

“Sorry Madam I didn’t mean any improprieties. Since we were the only two people who seemed to have no place else to go, I thought maybe you might like another drink and perhaps some company” He smiled to try to show her he meant no harm. 

Marley looked around then and noticed the bar was truly empty.

“I’m sorry but I’m really not very good company tonight”

“Well if it helps, I am trying to forget something too so maybe if we talked we would both forget whatever it was we didn’t want to remember”

“How do you know I am trying to forget something?”

“Well you came in the bar, dressed like you didn’t want any attention, the look on your face told me you weren’t in a good mood, and the way you were pounding back those shooters told me you were looking to ease some kind of pain. Usually when people come to a bar in a bad mood, pounding back drinks and they aren’t looking for a good time, then they are drinking to forget something.”

 

“How perceptive you are! A regular Sherlock Holmes!” Sarcasm was dripping off of every word coming out of Marley’s mouth. If this guy was looking for a pick-up he was looking in the wrong place.

“Whoa! Rather feisty aren’t you? I’m not looking for a fight darling; I’m just looking for a drinking partner. Not to mention a woman like you drinking here alone could be in trouble”

“I’ll take my chances thanks”   
“Suit yourself. Enjoy the drinks anyway.” He turned around and headed back to his seat at the bar.

How was he ever going to do his job, if she wouldn’t have anything to do with him? Oh wait, he had an idea. He called a friend of his and asked a favor. His friend agreed. Perfect, she was going to want to talk to him after his friend was done his job.

Marley continued to drink her drinks, starting to feel the effects of the tequila. I’ll show that Tom Hiddleston I don’t need him. The guy at the bar was cute, but she really didn’t need someone hitting on her tonight as they were all scum.

Marley could hear voices and when she looked up there were 2 guys coming into the bar. One of them looked her way as they headed over to the bartender. She could tell from their loud conversation that they had been celebrating something and they decided to continue the celebration in the bar. 

After they ordered their drinks, the tall one jabbed the skinny one in the ribs and motioned over to where Marley was sitting. She dipped her head down to ensure she didn’t make eye contact with them but it didn’t matter. They grabbed their drinks off the bar and come over to her table anyway.

“Hello luv, aren’t you a beauty? What are you doing here all by yourself?” The skinny one asked. Marley didn’t answer.

“Cat got your tongue luv?” the taller one asked. Again Marley didn’t answer.  
“I think the lady believes she is too good for us”   
“I think she’s just shy. We’ll just sit down with her and have a chat.” They sat one on each side of Marley, moving their chairs way too close.

Marley looked up at them, “Please I don’t need any company, thanks”   
“Ah, she’s not from around her are ya luv?”   
“How would you like to get to know the real London baby? I’ve got a great view from my bed.” the taller one said and he started to put his hand on Marley’s knee.

Marley was just about to scream when the man from the bar came back over. “Gentleman, I think there has been a mistake. This woman is with me and I would appreciate if you would leave so we could enjoy each other’s company” 

“Ah mate, don’t get all uptight. We were just saying hi to the pretty bird. Perhaps we could all be friends?” Neither of the men moved from Marley’s side.

The man from the bar reached over and grabbed the tall one by the neck. “I said the lady is with me, now move along!” he pushed the man away from the table. He was about to grab the skinny one too but he had enough sense to move on his own.

“Okay mate, okay. We was just having some fun. No need to get uptight.” The short one said as he grabbed his friend by the arm and took him back to the bar. 

Marley turned to her rescuer. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what they would have done if you didn’t come back. I’m surprised you wanted to help me at all after I was so rude to you.”

“Ah that’s okay Madam. I wouldn’t let those little comments of yours stop me from doing the right thing. It makes my blood boil when men act like that. They think women are their possessions and they can do what they want.”

“Well either way I am grateful to you. If you would still like to sit down I would be glad to have your company.” 

“I would love to.” It worked. Now he could get to know her and get his job done.  
“I don’t even know your name” He said as he took the chair across from her.  
‘It’s Marley. And yours?”  
“John. Nice to meet you Marley. What an unusual name. It’s obvious you aren’t from around here are you?”

“No I’m not. I came here from Canada to visit a friend and well that friend turned out to be a bit of a liar.”

“That ‘friend’ is who you are trying to forget?”   
“Yes.”  
“I’m guessing this is a male friend?”  
“Right again. Why do men have to lie to women? If you aren’t that interested in us then tell us that. Don’t string us along when you have another woman on the side!” All of a sudden Marley felt like talking…or maybe it was the tequila that did.

“I’m sorry Marley, you are right we are shite. It’s not because we want to hurt you, it’s the opposite. We don’t want to let you down by telling you we aren’t interested any longer so we hope if we start to act awful you will tell us goodbye. Then we don’t hurt your feelings and can take the easy way out. Right cowards we are.”

“Cowards is a pretty accurate description but little did you know we don’t always want a relationship either. I actually was the one to leave Tom after we first met and he was the one who pursued me. Now I come all this way because he says he cares about me and wants to spend more time with me, only to find out he was still seeing his old girlfriend who is pregnant with his child!”

“That’s awful! What a cad! Wait a minute, did you say Tom? Not Tom as in Tom Hiddleston?” John’s eyes were open wide in disbelief.

“Yes I am afraid I did and I am afraid he is. How did you know?”  
“Oh luv I’m so sorry, I saw the whole red carpet incident on the telly. I felt so bad for you. What a chump he was to betray someone as lovely as you.”

“Thank you. Yes he was! Anyway that’s why I am in here, trying to forget how dumb I was for ever believing anything he said.”

“I don’t think you were dumb. I imagine Mr. Big Shot probably has a good game and knows all the right things to say. Just be thankful you found out when you did.”  
“Perhaps you are right. Anyway, talking about him is not helping me to forget, so let’s talk about you?”

John began to tell Marley all about his life, his work and how his girlfriend had cheated on him. After an hour of conversation and more drinks, they two of them became well acquainted and very sloshed!

“John, I think I need to go back to my room now, but I am not sure where that is. Do you know?” Marley slurred

“No but maybe we can ask at the desk. I’ll help you.”  
“Oh wait, I remember a trick a friend of mine had shown me so you don’t forget your room number. I took a picture of the door with my phone. Here it is” She pulled out the phone and sure enough her room number was on it.

“I can’t seem to read the numbers though” she squinted at the phone through wine goggles.

“Let me help you up to your room and then I’ll take off.” John offered.  
“Sounds good John, but no hanky panky okay?”   
“No hanky panky Marley” he grinned.

Marley was practically laying against John on the way up to her room. She was not used to doing shots and they had taken their toll on her. When they got to her door, John took the key from Marley and put his arms around her to hold her up while he was opening the door. She put her arms around his neck to try to keep her balance but her head fell into the crook of his neck. 

“Marley luv, you keep getting this cozy with me and I might want to take advantage of you after all”  
“Oh John you are so funny. I guess though I do owe you a kiss for being my knight in shining armour earlier.” She didn’t wait for him to answer and instead pulled his head down and locked her lips around his giving him a big juicy kiss.

When John finally broke the kiss so he could breathe he looked Marley in the eye “You are some lucky I’m a nice guy because right now I would like nothing more than to join you in your bed. Instead though I am going to help you into the room so you don’t hurt yourself and then leave while I can”

“Ah John, you are such a nice guy” she said as John picked her up in his arms and carried her into the room. He laid her on the bed and made a quick exit before he changed his mind. He was quite certain she wouldn’t remember much of this evening after what she had to drink; and that was good because it would only lend credibility to his story afterwards.


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom puts part one of his plan into action as he goes to see Jodi

Tom walked up the stairs of the flat and knocked on the door. He didn’t call ahead as he thought the element of surprise would help his situation.

Jodi opened the door and almost fainted when she saw Tom standing there.  
“Tom? What’s going on, why are you here?”

“You don’t want me here? I can leave if you want”  
“No, no, don’t leave, come in.”

She led him into the living room and when she sat down on the couch he sat beside her. Again her eyes looked shocked and she couldn’t image why he would want to be so close to her after all that had happened between them.

It was Tom who broke the silence and spoke first, “How are you feeling? Do you have any morning sickness?”

“No I’m actually feeling pretty good. I haven’t gained any real weight yet”  
“Jodi, I had to come see you” he picked up her hand in his “to tell you how sorry I am”  
“Sorry?” she asked

“Yes so sorry for leaving you. I had no idea you were carrying my child and besides that I have really missed you. I was a fool to let you go” 

Jodi couldn’t believe he had just said those words, she thought she was dreaming. “Tom, do you really mean it?”

“Yes luv I do. Marley was a mistake and seeing you the other night made me realize that. Can you ever forgive me and take me back?”

Jodi was overwhelmed with joy. She threw her arms around Tom, hugging him tightly to her. “Of course I will forgive you, you silly boy. I knew eventually you would come to your senses.”

“So how far along are you?”   
“I’m 18 weeks”  
“Really, you don’t look like it.” Tom knew that it had barely been 18 weeks since he had been with Jodi which is why he had been sure it couldn’t be his baby.

“I know. The doctor was actually worried because I had gained hardly any weight but he checked and everything is good.”  
“I’m so glad. Jodi darling I want to be a large part of this baby’s life. I want to be a real father. I think we should get married”

This time Jodi did come close to fainting at hearing Tom’s words.  
“Yes Tom, yes I will marry you” and once again she flung her arms around him. Tom in return planted a kiss on the top of her head.

“OMG… so much to think about, so much to do” she said breaking away from Tom’s grip.

“Don’t worry about it; I will have my team look after all the details. You just need to stay healthy for the baby”

“You are so sweet; I just know you will make the best Dad.”

“So I want to go with the doctor with you right away. I want to catch up on what I missed.”

For a moment Jodi almost lost her composure. Tom could tell her demeanor changed.  
“I don’t have a doctors appt for a while Tom. Trust me things are well” she said trying to cover up how uncomfortable this was making her.

“That’s okay Luv. I took the liberty of booking us with Dr. Sharpe, the best Obstetrician in London, and he is able to see us this afternoon. Isn’t that great?”

“It’s great but Tom I don’t know if I can go this afternoon”  
“Nonsense, anything you need taken care of Luke can arrange. Nothing is more important than this baby” 

“Ah… yes I guess so” Jodi needed some time to figure this one out.  
“Tom, I am so glad you are here but I am getting tired. I think I am going to go for a nap. I can see you this afternoon” 

“I’d rather stay luv. I am so excited I can’t bear to be away from you. I’ll just sit here and catch up on some emails while you sleep; if that’s okay?” 

Jodi couldn’t say no or it would look suspicious. After all the fuss she has made over wanting him back, she couldn’t very well turn him away when he wanted to be near her.  
“Okay, I guess. I might be a while though”

“No problem darling, I will be here when you wake up. Unless you would rather me come sleep with you?” he asked as an afterthought.

“NO! I mean no thanks. I toss and turn so much that it’s better if I am by myself. I’ll see you after” She hurried out of the room before he changed his mind.

Tom put his feet up, and sat there smiling to himself. His plan seemed to be working as he definitely threw her off her game. He didn’t know if there was a baby at all, or if he was one but he wasn’t the father; but, this afternoon he would find out.

 

Jodi paced around the bedroom trying to figure out what to do about this situation. She was glad Tom had come back to her, but she had to do something so he didn’t find out the truth; at least not yet. 

She lied down on the bed in case Tom should be listening at the door. She would have to tell Tom she wasn’t feeling up to go out to the doctor today. Surely he wouldn’t argue with a pregnant woman and try to push her to do something she didn’t want to do. All she had to do was stall him until they were married and then it didn’t matter if he found out the truth. 

She would tell him they needed to get married right away since so she wouldn’t be too big at the wedding. Yes that should do it.

After an hour of lying in bed awake, Jodi figured she had been there long enough to convince Tom she had been resting. She went back out to the living room where she found him still checking his emails.

“Hi, luv, did you have a good nap?”  
“I slept some but I’m really not feeling well. Usually a nap will energize me but this time I feel kind of bloated and achy. I’m sorry Tom, I know you went to a lot of trouble to set up the doctor’s appointment but I don’t think I can go. I just want to lie back down snuggled under a warm blanket.”

“Are you sure? Is there anything I can do? Maybe it would be better to see the doctor when you are feeling like this; he may be able to help.”

“No Tom, I don’t think anything is wrong, I just think I am still exhausted and all I want to do is lie down. Besides, I forgot I have an appointment with my own doctor for next week.”

“Alright, I guess if that’s what you want.” Darn it, he would have to find another way. Perhaps he can call the doctor to come over for a house call. 

“Thank you Tom for understanding.” Jodi started to head over to the couch where Tom was sitting when her foot got caught in the rug. It pulled her feet out from under her and caused her to crash to the ground face down. She managed to hit her head on the countertop as she fell and she started bleeding profusely from her head.

“Oh my God Jodi. Darling talk to me. Say something” Tom urged. She didn’t answer him as she had lost consciousness.

Tom immediately dialed 999 for an ambulance. The operator had one coming and told Tom what to do. He could tell she was breathing even though she was unconscious so he was told to put a cloth on her head which soaked up most of her blood. They told him not to move her in case there was serious injury. She came to for a moment and then went out again. Tom kept trying to wake her but didn’t have any long term success. He was so relieved when the ambulance finally showed up.

“Please be careful with her, she is pregnant”   
“Don’t worry Sir; we will take good care of her.”

Tom watched as they treated Jodi. She kept going in and out of consciousness and wasn’t able to say much to them before she conked back out again. He saw the paramedic put the stethoscope on her stomach, trying to find the babies heartbeat, but there wasn’t any they could find. Tom became very worried. Even if the baby wasn’t his, he didn’t want any harm to come to it.

He followed the ambulance to the A&E and persuaded them to let him stay with her while she was being treated. All the heads in the place turned when they saw Tom Hiddleston walk by and everyone seemed to move a little faster to try to help Jodi as a result of her being with Tom.

He heard the paramedics say she was pregnant and that they couldn’t find a heartbeat. The doctor tried and didn’t have any better luck so he called for an ultrasound.   
What the doctor saw next surprised all of them.


	49. Chapter 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom finds out Jodi's secret

Tom was standing back far enough he couldn’t see the scan but he saw the doctor checked a second time before turning towards him.

“Are you the woman’s husband?” 

“I am her fiancé and father of the baby” Tom replied.

“Well Mr. Hiddleston, there is a reason we couldn’t find the heartbeat” The doctor’s face turned extreme serious.

“Oh no Doctor,” Tom turned pale at what he thought the doctor was going to say next, “don’t tell me we lost the baby!”

“No you haven’t lost it, because there never was one. This woman isn’t pregnant now nor will she ever be pregnant. She doesn’t have any ovaries.”

The blood rushed to Tom’s head as it sunk in what the doctor had just said. “Are you certain? How can that be?”

“Absolutely certain. From the look of the scars I would say she hasn’t had any for quite a while they must have been removed for some medical reason. I’m sorry to break the news to you this way but you will need to ask her when she wakes up”

Tom nodded and then turned and walked from the trauma area into one of the empty family rooms nearby.

“That fucking bitch!” he hollered as he kicked over a chair sitting in front of him. He took a pillow from the couch and slammed it onto the table over and over trying to get out all the hatred he felt. He knew she had to be lying to him, but he assumed it must have been someone else’s baby. Not only wasn’t there one but there wasn’t even a chance there was one. There is no way she could have been mistaken because she knew she couldn’t get pregnant.

Then another thought came into his head. This means the whole time she was with him, she was lying too. She always talked about wanting to give him a son when the whore knew she couldn’t give him one. Tom was so mad he didn’t know what to do. Just as his anger was bubbling up again he realized what this actually meant… Marley would have to believe him and see that it wasn’t his fault. Oh, he had to go see her and quickly before his time was up. The door opened and the nurse told him Jodi was awake. He would have to go see her before he left.

 

When Jodi had finally regained consciousness, she could hear a lot of voices near her bed. She couldn’t quite hear what they were saying but something about baby. She started getting nervous wondering what had happened while she was out. Where was Tom? And what did he know?

“Nurse, Doctor, someone come tell me what’s going on!” she hollered from her cubicle

“Jodi” the nurse said coming as fast as she could “try to stay calm, everything is alright”

“What happened? What’s wrong with me?”

“Let me take a look and then I’ll tell you” The nurse looked into her eyes and took all her vitals to make sure there was no damage from when she was unconscious.

“Okay, okay, I’m fine. Now tell me what happened!” Jody needed to know and she needed to know now before she saw Tom

“You were home with your fiancé and you weren’t feeling well. Do you remember that?”  
“Yes I think I do but that’s all I seem to remember. Why and how did I get here and what happened to my head, its bloody well killing me!”

“What happened was you caught your foot in the rug and it pulled you to the floor. You hit your head on the cabinet as you fell and cut it open. There was a lot of blood and you kept slipping in and out of consciousness. That’s why your head hurts so much.”

“Well that explains a lot. Did Tom come with me? Where is he?”  
“He was just here but he went for a break after the doctor told him you would be okay. I’ll go let him know you are awake”

“Thank you”. 

Jodi’s stomach started feeling nauseous but it wasn’t because of the fall, it was because she wondered what the doctor had told Tom. If Tom had mentioned the pregnancy when they brought her in what would the doctor have said when he found out the truth! She shivered as a cold chill ran up her spine. Then she sat almost paralyzed as she saw Tom making his way towards her. He didn’t look mad though so perhaps things weren’t as bad as she had thought.

“Tom, I’m so glad to see you, I was so scared here without you”  
“I’m sorry darling. What were you scared about?” He smiled but it wasn’t a very friendly smile, it was actually kind of menacing. “Was it the cut on your head or was it not knowing what happened to the baby.”

“Oh the baby, Tom what happened to our baby?” She managed to bring tears to her eyes.  
“Jodi its fine. It has to be doesn’t it because imaginary babies can’t get hurt now can they?” Tom glared at her with all the hatred he could muster.

“Tom, I’m sorry please let me explain?” she starting crying and begging for a chance.  
“Explain what Jodi? How you wanted to fool me into marrying you or how you lied to me all the time we were together or how you humiliated Marley on the red carpet as you tried to convince the world that I had wronged you? Come on, which one was it?” His voice was getting louder with each syllable and the nurse came to tell him to quiet down.

“Don’t worry nurse, I was just leaving and leaving for good.” He gave Jodi one last reproachful look before turning around and heading for the doors.

“Tom, Tom, please come back Tom” She cried as she watched him leave. She knew it was no use; she was pretty sure that would be the last time she would see him.


	50. Chapter 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom rushes to tell Marley the good news, when he ends up getting a big surprise.

After the doctor checked Jodi over one more time, there was no real need for her to stay in the hospital. Her scan ruled out a concussion and the wound had stopped bleeding. All the rest of her injuries were superficial. She hailed a cab and was making her way home when she got a text.

 

*Jodi… got pics, got #, when do I send? John*

John! Oh my god in all the excitement she forgot all about John. 

*John… send pics now. Jodi*  
It may be too late for her and Tom but it wasn’t too late for her to ruin whatever he had going on with Marley. If Jodi couldn’t have him then she certainly didn’t want her to.

John was all set to put their plan into action. Jodi had paid him good money to hang out with Marley and get the pictures. Luckily his friend Mike had been there to help. Now he could finally finish the job. He knew what phone number to send the pictures to as he was able to find it in her phone the night before. Marley had been drunk enough that she forgot to lock up her phone so he was able to get the phone number from it once she passed out on the bed. Yes this was going to work perfectly.

 

Tom headed off to Marley’s hotel as fast as he could. He hoped that once he explained to her what really happened she would change her mind about leaving and give him another chance. He hoped she wouldn’t believe this craziness was a regular part of his life because normally it wasn’t. He believed they could have a fairly normal relationship if she could only wait a little longer.

Tom’s cab pulled up outside of the hotel about 20mins later. He was walking through the lobby on the way to the elevator when he got a text. He assumed it was one of his friends but he noticed it came from an unknown number. He couldn’t imagine who it would be but since this was his private number it had to be someone he knew. 

Tom opened the text. There were 2 pictures attached. He started to open the first one when the bing of the elevator caught his attention. As he stepped inside and noticed no one else got on with him; he went back to opening the picture. By the time the next bing signaled his floor, the attachment had opened and he was dumbfounded by what he saw.

The picture was of Marley standing outside her hotel room and she had her arms around the neck of a man, someone Tom had never seen before. Then he looked closer and saw that not only was her arms around the man’s neck, but her face was tucked into the man’s face as she was kissing him! 

What was this? Who sent it? When was it taken? All these questions raced through Tom’s mind. He hesitated so long that the elevator closed back up and carried on with Tom still inside. 

He couldn’t stop looking at the photo. It was clearly recent because it was her hotel here in London. Who was this man that Marley was clearly so comfortable with? Tom then remembered there was another picture. He was almost too afraid to open it but his curiosity got the better of him. When the second picture opened he wished he hadn’t. In the picture it clearly showed the man lying next to Marley on her bed, leaning over her with his hands on her hip and his mouth over hers! 

Tom was in shock. What had she done? Did she not care for him the same as he cared for her? Or had she given up on him thinking he would leave her for Jodi?

He realized then that the elevator was stopped and he wasn’t going anywhere. He pushed the button for Marley’s floor and when it stopped he got out and just stood there. They had been together and she said she would give him a couple of days to figure things out…but she didn’t! Did she hook up with the first guy she saw or did she have him in the background all along? Was he waiting for her to be alone and away from me so he could fuck her? 

He marched over to Marley’s room and banged on the door. A few short seconds later Marley appeared in the open doorway. She was taken aback by the look on Tom’s face. .

“Hello Tom. How are you?”  
“Not so great Marley. We need to talk!” Marley found his tone very definitive and commanding. He entered the room without waiting for her to invite him in.

“Hello? What is your issue?” she demanded. “I don’t care much for your lack of manners right now”

“I’m not too worried about my manners. I am more concerned over what kind of slut I hooked up with in Toronto!”

“Excuse me? You are the one with the girlfriend on the side and a baby on the way. I believe that makes you the slut Mr. Hiddleston, not me!”

“See that’s the funny thing about this situation. I had someone accuse me in public of something I didn’t do and while I was trying to clear my good name you were the one entertaining men in your hotel suite. To me that makes you whore”

“Are you out of your tree? I wasn’t entertaining any man in my hotel room. Where do you get off throwing those lies in my face?”

“Sorry luv, but it’s not a lie, I have the pictures to prove it.” Tom dug his phone out of his pocket and shoved it in Marley’s face. “What do you think this is if it’s not you with your arms around a stranger and your face nuzzled into his neck?”

“Tom, I don’t know what you are talking about” She took the phone from him and looked at the picture. Yes it was her alright but what was going on. She knew she hadn’t been nuzzling anyone. She was fuzzy about what happened last night though as she had consumed a lot of alcohol.

“Tom, you may choose not to believe me but I don’t know anything about this picture. I was very upset after you left here yesterday and rather than sitting her and crying all night, I decided to see if drinking would help. I went down to the bar by myself.”

“Doesn’t look like you came home that way” he sneered

“No it doesn’t. I remember a guy offering to buy me a drink and I turned him down. Then…” she started to tense up.  
“Then what?” Tom asked  
“Then I remember 2 guys coming into the bar and they came onto me strong. They weren’t going to take no for an answer and I was getting scared. I still get chills when I think of them.” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts and then it came to her.

“I remember now, the guy who tried to buy me a drink earlier, came over and got rid of the guys at my table. He protected me from them. After they left, I bought him a drink to thank him.”

“And then you brought him back to your room to properly thank him?”   
“No Tom I didn’t. I didn’t sleep with anyone”  
“Correction again Marley, there is another picture.” He showed her the picture of the man in bed with her, grabbing her hip and kissing her passionately.

Marley’s eyes almost popped out of her head. What was this picture? She didn’t sleep with John so how come it looks like this? She thought he had left her at the door.

“Tom I don’t know what to say other than I didn’t sleep with him. John and I hung out and drank some shots. He said he was trying to forget someone and I was trying to forget our situation for a little while so we had something in common. I remember John offering to help me to my room as I wasn’t sure what room I was in. He helped me find the room number on my phone and then came up in the elevator with me so I didn’t get lost. I was a real mess from the shots we were doing and having some walking issues. I don’t know how this picture got taken. The problem is I don’t have a way to contact John to find out.”

“That’s pretty convenient Marley. Here’s how I think it went. You were pissed at me and decided to get back at me for hurting you. You decided to pick up the first guy you saw in the bar and shag him so I would be hurting as much as you were.”

“Tom that’s not true. I was hurt and I am still hurt but I would never do something that vindictive.”

“Well the joke is on you anyway. I have definitive proof that not only is Jodi not carrying my child, she can never carry anyone’s child as she had her ovaries removed years ago. I was rushing over here to tell you the good news when these pictures got emailed to me.”

“Wait, what did you say? Jodi isn’t pregnant? Tom, that’s great news.”

“Is it? Doesn’t really matter anymore now, does it? You couldn’t believe in me long enough to find out the truth. How can we have a relationship when all it takes for you to get in bed with another man is for someone to make up lies about me? News flash darling, I am an actor and people make up shit about me all the time. You really will be a whore if you bed hop every time it happens!”

Tom didn’t wait for Marley to respond. He marched towards the door and kept right on going.

“Tom, come back here. Let’s talk about this. We are both better than this”

Tom either didn’t hear her or didn’t care as he was on the elevator and out of sight by the time Marley got to the door.

What the hell were they going to do now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow 50 chapters. Didn't expect this story to be this long when I started but Tom and Marley really started writing themselves. Hope you enjoy this enough to stick around for more.


	51. Chapter 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they assess the fallout from their argument, Tom and Marley make some decisions about their relationship

Marley couldn’t believe what just happened. She certainly never made out with anyone except Tom, yet the pictures he had told a different story.

What was she going to do? She didn’t know the man’s last name; he was only John to her. She didn’t have any witnesses who could help her explain. But why would Tom think she would do that to him? If she was the vindictive type she might have, but surely he knew her well enough by now to know she wasn’t playing any games. She was the one who said she wasn’t interested in complicated, she was the one who had initially pulled away from him and she was the one whose heart was breaking thinking about how things got so messed up. 

She liked Tom a lot and she couldn’t stand how things had turned out. But perhaps this was for the best. She felt that she and Tom would be doomed from the start so why should she be so surprised now when her predictions were coming true? Now she knew Tom’s true nature. 

If he couldn’t believe her when she told him nothing had happened then he was no better than…than...than she was? Was Tom only doing the exact same thing she had done to him when Jodi made her accusations?

She didn’t believe Tom when he said Jodi was lying. She found it easy to believe the worst of him even though he had not given her any reason to think that way. She had assumed the worst because of who he was and his chosen profession. Why when the tables were turned was she so appalled that he might think the same about her? She really was quite a hypocrite!

Tom had gone out of his way to prove his innocence and lucky for him he was able to. Marley could not be that lucky as she had no way to locate this man and find out the truth. She wondered if she went back to the bar, if the bartender would remember her from last night and perhaps know something about the man. If was worth a shot, as that was the only chance she had. For now though she couldn't muster the strength to do anything.

 

Tom was fuming as he left the hotel and got into his car still waiting for him outside. He heard some fans trying to get his attention; but, now certainly wasn’t a good time. He slammed the car door behind him, the sound echoing his mood.

“Take me home Charles, immediately!” he barked at the driver. Charles knew something was up as he had driven Mr. Hiddleston many times in the past and he had never seen him in such a mood.

As the car was heading back to the house, Tom kept replaying things over and over in his mind. How could his judgement have been so wrong? He trusted Marley and never once fathomed that she could do anything like this to him. After all the trouble he had gone to in order to clear his name, and for what? It really wasn’t his name he cared about; he could handle the public thinking poorly of him, but not Marley. She was the person whose opinion meant the most and she thought he was a horrible playboy. How could she be so wrong about him? Had he done anything since he met her that would indicate he was that kind of man? No, he hadn’t. Why would she jump to these conclusions based on outlandish accusations from a woman she didn’t even know? 

How could she? She was acting just like…just like, he was? 

The reality of the situation hit him in the face. Here he believed everything he saw in a picture instead of believing the words of a woman who had done nothing but support him, nothing but care about him and gave him absolutely no sign that she would jump into bed with the first man who offered. If she had really done that on purpose to hurt him, then she would have told him about it in order to rub it in his face. How stupid had he been?

Tom ordered the driver to turn back around immediately. He had to rush back to Marley before the situation got even worse.

Fifteen minutes later, Marley was sitting in her room with her head in her hands kicking herself for acting the way she had; when there was a knock at her door. She wondered who in the world would want to see her and what wonderful timing they had. 

She looked through the peephole and was surprised to see Tom there. She pulled open the door quickly before he could leave again.

“Tom, did you forget something?” She was afraid his answer was going to be another insult or words chosen to hurt her further.

Tom’s answer was short and sweet; he grabbed Marley’s face in his hands and smothered her in kisses. When he finally stopped long enough for her to speak she had to ask “I don’t understand, when you left here you hated me with a passion and now you want to kiss me with the same passion? Why the change?”

“Marley we have both been fools for letting other people get between us. We both took the words and actions of others over the words of the people we love and respect.”

“Did you say love?” Her voice was timid and breathy.

“Yes Darling, I said love because Marley it can only be love that makes me this crazy! The way it felt when you didn’t believe me almost crushed my heart. If it were anything less than love I wouldn’t feel this way!”

“All I know is as much as my mind was saying ‘get away from this man and go back to your normal life’ my heart was aching at the thought that this was the end. So Thomas, I guess I must love you too”. The smile she gave him could not have been any bigger or brighter as she realized she meant ever word she said.

Tom pulled her close to him again, this time wrapping his arms around her and holding her as if she was afraid she would get away. “Marley darling, I believe you when you say nothing happened and I don’t need proof.”

“Thank you Tom and all I can say is I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before. I just couldn’t believe you were as good as you seemed. I was sure something would happen because I was waiting for something to happen. I jumped at the first sign of trouble instead of trusting in the man who had been nothing but great to me”

“”I forgive you luv. I know my being an actor does not lend a lot of credibility to my words as celebrities don’t have great track records. All I can tell you is I am not the typical actor and I love my life so much more now that you are in it than I ever did before”

“I feel the same Tom. As much as I hate to admit it, I never thought a man could make me as happy as you have. You are worth the risk of a heartache”

“Good. Now let’s not waste any more precious time. We have a couple of very bad days to make up for.” Tom scooped Marley up in his arms and headed for the bedroom.


	52. Chapter 52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley and Tom start making plans for their future.

Over the next few days, Marley and Tom rekindled their romance by deciding not to leave the bed. Room service got to know them very well and were attentive to their every need. 

On what was supposed to have been Marley’s last day in London, she and Tom discussed what was next for them. Would they go public? How would they dispel the accusations against Tom? 

“Marley luv, I really don’t want to hide our relationship. I want the world to know how much I love you. How would you feel about me confirming our relationship at the same time we let the press know the truth about Jodi? Is that something you would be comfortable with?”

“If you had asked me a week ago I would have firmly said no, but now that everyone pretty much knows we are involved in some way, I think we might as well clear things up. It will be better for your career if I don’t come off looking like a cheap floosy you picked up somewhere.” He loved when she gave him that smirky grin every time she said something saucy.

“I don’t care about how this looks to anyone as long as you are happy, so you still have a choice. Don’t say yes if you don’t really want to” Her happiness was really all he cared about.

“As much as I value my privacy and like to lead a simple uncomplicated life, you have turned me into a possessive woman who wants the world to know you are all mine. So while you say I have a choice, I’m not sure I have…but I’m okay with that.” Tom could tell she meant it because every other time he wanted to discuss his fans she flatty refused and this time her eyes showed warmth and contentment.

Tom grabbed Marley around the waist and pulled her tight against him with both his arms locked around her. “The feeling it mutual darling. I don’t want all those men drooling over you thinking they have a chance. As a matter of fact I think whenever we go out; I am going to walk just like this so no one can come between us!” He hugged her even tighter when he said this.

“Oh do you now? Did you forget that I know all your ticklish spots?” Her hands reached into several sensitive spots on Tom’s stomach and ribs and pinched his bum. He couldn’t help but move his hands to try to protect himself. 

“See? I can get away if I wanted to” But as she pulled away from him, she looked deeply into his eyes and said “but I don’t ever want to get away.” She pulled herself back into his grip and took his beautiful lips into her mouth. She couldn’t get enough of those warm lips that tasted like honey.

As they broke the kiss, Tom looked back at her with a very content smile. “Now that we have agreed, let’s see how we want to do this.” They spent the next hour talking about what they wanted to tell his public and how they wanted to do it. The one thing they knew instantly was that Marley was not going home anytime soon.

Once things were all decided, Tom made a call to Luke and asked him to join them the next day so they could go over their plans. Marley was exhausted and told Tom she needed a nap. Tom then realized how much he wanted a shower, so he left Marley lying peacefully on the bed. 

Tom was barely out of the room when Marley picked up his phone and searched to find a number in his call list. When she successfully found what she was looking for, she dialed right away as she didn’t know how long Tom would be. When the person on the other end answered she rushed to say “It’s Marley, I don’t have much time and I need your help” 

 

The next day Luke showed up to have breakfast with the giddy pair. “God you too are pathetic. Tom I didn’t think it was possible to smile more often than you already do but I see I was wrong. And Marley, you look like the cat who swallowed the canary.”

“It wasn’t the canary she swallowed” Tom said grinning at Marley.  
Marley reached out and smacked Tom on the arm “Thomas William Hiddleston, keep that up and it will be the last time I swallow anything in your presence.”

“Okay now you two have gone from pathetic to nauseating in less than 60 seconds. Must be some kind of record” 

“Sorry Luke, and sorry Luv, I just couldn’t help myself”   
“Darling, what did I tell you? Your evil side is slipping out”   
“Okay I’ll behave. Now can we get on with it?’ Tom asked turning his attention back to Luke.

“Gladly” Luke started taking notes as Tom and Marley described to him what their plans were.

“I think that is very doable” Luke concluded when they finished filling him in.  
“I will start working on this tomorrow”

“Excellent, well I guess that concludes our business then” Tom stood to walk Luke to the door. He wanted his alone time with Marley again as all the time he spent talking to Luke, his mind kept picturing all the things he wanted to do to her body.

“Actually Tom I have one more thing to review with you”

“Oh, what’s that Luke?”

Luke looked over at Marley and she nodded, turning her head to Tom

“Tom, I asked Luke to do me a favour last night when you were in the shower.”

“What kind of favour?” His pulse started to race as he wondered what the two of them would have to do with each other. He looked back and forth between them but neither of their faces gave anything away.

“I asked him to see if he could find out anything about the photos of John and I from the hotel security cameras”  
“Marley you didn’t need to do that. I told you I believed you”  
“I know but I needed to know for myself.’ She turned to Luke then, “Go ahead Luke, what did you find?”

“Well at first I didn’t find much of anything. I saw you and John leave the bar together and then I saw you in the hallway outside your room. Things got interesting however, about 2 minutes after you entered. I kept watching the footage and suddenly another man appeared and entered the room with you and John. Now of course I couldn’t see anything inside, but he was only side about 3 minutes when both he and John exited together. They were looking at something in the other man’s hand. I was able to zoom in on what they were looking and it was a cell phone with the same picture that was sent to you Tom. It looks like you were professionally set up. I guess John was supposed to get you drunk and into your room and then the other guy came in the take pictures of the two of you”

“Cocksucker!” The word flew out of Marley’s mouth faster than a bullet out of a gun.

“I knew something wasn’t right when I saw those pictures and if I think about it, I knew something didn’t feel right about him when we first met in the bar either. It was only because he ‘rescued’ me from the other 2 idiots that I even let him near me at all.”

She paused for a moment as another thought entered her head.

“Luke, do you have the video of the other man that I can look at?”

“Yes, I had it transferred to my phone so I could show you.”

“Perfect, let’s see”

Marley stared at the screen for a brief moment before crying out again in disbelief “That rat bastard! I know this man”

“Who is it Marley?’

“He is one of the men who was causing me problems in the bar, one of the ones John saved me from. The two of them were playing me all the time.”

“Those wankers! That was a really elaborate plan” Tom reached out to look at the video himself. “Why would anyone go to such lengths to fabricate a photo of you and another man?” 

It only took one more moment for Tom to answer his own question “JODI!”

“Of course, that makes sense now” Luke replied. “She knew she had to get Marley out of your life somehow so she set this whole thing up.”

“But we have no proof. We don’t know for sure it’s her”

“No luv we don’t but who else would benefit from it? Jodi was so obsessed with being with me that she wasn’t thinking clearly. Besides, she thought she had me locked in with the fake baby story.”

“That poor girl” 

“Poor girl? Marley how can you be so sympathetic to someone so evil?”

“Well, I know how she feels. Once you are in a woman’s life Tom, you are hard to get out. Some kind of special powers you have I guess. I can’t blame her for wanting you.”

“Oh god! I think that’s my cue to leave” Luke made a mock face as if he was completely disgusted with what Marley had said. “Have fun you two and let me know if you need anything else Tom”

“Thanks Luke I will, but I think I can handle the situation from here” he smiled once more as he grabbed Marley pulling her into his arms. The smile was instantaneous and so large it took over his whole face.

As soon as Luke was gone Tom looked over at Marley “I meant it when I said I believed you, I didn’t need the proof.”

“I know you didn’t, and I love you for that, trust me this was all for me”

“Well mystery solved so where do we go from here?” Tom asked running his fingers through Marley’s brown locks. 

“Back to bed?” Marley asked, pinching his tight bottom between her fingers at the same time.

“I can’t think of anything better”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the line for Tom and Marley,... at least for now. I hope you have enjoyed reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> What could be a better ending than bedtime with Tom? *smiles all around*


End file.
